In a statement, chief statistician Uzir Mahidin said there were 546,700 unemployed people last November, a 0.9% decline from 551,400 last October during which time the unemployment rate was 3.2% as well.

Uzir said Malaysia’s labour market became more stable in November due to the continued strength in economic performance towards the end of last year.

He said the labour force strengthened by 0.1% last November to 17.29 million people compared to 17.27 million in October.

The services sector continued to record a rise in the number of employed persons in November, largely in wholesale and retail trade, transportation and storage, and information and communication activities.

A similar trend was observed in manufacturing, construction, mining and quarrying, and agriculture.

Uzir also noted that the youth unemployment rate for those aged 15 to 24 stood at 10.4% last November, with 300,600 unemployed youths compared to 301,500 in October.