In a statement, the statistics department said last December’s unemployment rate was the lowest since May 2015 (3.1%).

The 544,300 unemployed people last December was a 0.4% decline from the 546,700 unemployed people last November.

The labour force strengthened by 0.1% last December to 17.32 million people compared to 17.29 million people in November.

Chief statistician Uzir Mahidin said the low unemployment rate was driven by the strong economic growth and encouraging labour market at the end of last year.

Uzir also said the positive performance of the country’s labour market in 2024 was partly driven by sustained labour demand across various sectors, particularly in the private sector which saw an increase in job opportunities.

“The outlook for Malaysia’s labour force in 2025 is favourable, with employment expected to rise consistently,” he said.

Uzir added that key sectors such as manufacturing – particularly electrical and electronics – and services would drive job creation.

The unemployment rate for youth aged 15 to 24 and 15 to 30 decreased by 0.1 percentage points to 10.3% (299,700 people) and 6.1% (410,800 people) respectively last December compared to November.