May unemployment still on uptrend
The number of unemployed people in May was 5.3 percent, up 0.3 percent in April.
According to the Department of Statistics (DOSM), an estimated 826,100 were jobless last month.
The number of unemployed people in May was 5.3 percent, up 0.3 percent in April.
According to the Department of Statistics (DOSM), an estimated 826,100 were jobless last month.
"As observed, the monthly change in unemployed persons in May was very much lower than the change registered from March to April, that is 168,300.
"The reduction could partly be due to the implementations of numerous stimulus packages reaching its intended target in addition to more businesses being allowed to operate following the conditional movement control order," said the DOSM.
Of the total unemployed people in May, an estimated 437,833 (53.7 percent) have been out of work for less than three months.
This marked a 30.6 percent spike since April.
The unemployment rate is an estimate of the number of unemployed - people actively seeking work - over the total labour force.
Meanwhile, the employment-to-population ratio - which is indicative of the economy's ability to create jobs - was 64.4 percent, down 0.4 percent since May.
Malaysia has been experiencing a continuous drop in this ratio since February.
Similarly, the labour force participation rate (LPFR) - the number of people available for work - also continued its decline, currently sitting at 68 percent, down 0.1 percent month-on-month.
"This was the lowest LFPR recorded since December 2017. In comparison, the lowest LFPR ever recorded was 62.6 percent in 2008," said the DOSM.
Looking ahead, the DOSM expect the recovery MCO phase - where most businesses are allowed to reopen - which began on June 10 to cushion further job losses.
"With this development, in the short term, labour force situation in June 2020 is expected to improve slightly while in the medium term up to the second half of 2020, further progress is deemed possible.
"Through various initiatives by the Government, in addition to new creative businesses models innovated, the labour market may find its way to a recovery path," DOSM said.
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