According to the statistics department, this was a 1.1% drop from the 687,600 out of work in December 2021. The current unemployment rate stands at 4.2%.

In a statement, Chief Statistician Uzir Mahidin said the improvements “mirrored the encouraging economic activity in January 2022”.

He attributed this to all states currently being in Phase 4 of the national recovery plan and businesses being permitted to operate at full capacity with longer business hours.

Uzir said that of the unemployed population, 83.7% were actively seeking work.

Youth unemployment (among those aged 15 to 24) also improved in January, falling to 13.2% from 13.7% the month before.

The services industry and manufacturing and construction sectors saw increases in the number of employees.

However, employment in the agriculture, mining and quarrying sectors continued along the downward trend that had persisted for the last 18 months.