data story

Is Malaysia working?

Unemployment & the labour force, 2010–2026

Malaysia's unemployment rate is 3.0% as of early 2026, near its lowest in over a decade, with a record 70.9% of working-age adults in the labour force. It spiked to 4.6% in 2021 during COVID before recovering.

Source · Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) Labour Force Survey, Malaysia (monthly) Updated 2026-06-30
3.0%
Unemployment rate
of the labour force · early 2026
near a decade low
17.3M
In the labour force
people working or seeking work
DOSM, 2026
70.9%
Participation rate
record high · adults in the workforce
DOSM, 2026

The COVID spike, and the recovery

Unemployment rate (annual average), 2010–2025. It jumped during the pandemic, then fell back toward pre-COVID lows.

3.3%20103.1%20113%20123.1%20132.9%20143.2%20153.5%20163.4%20173.3%20183.3%20194.5%20204.6%2021COVID peak3.8%20223.4%20233.3%20243%2025
Source: Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Labour Force Survey, Malaysia (monthly) · Labour Force Survey, annual average · % of the labour force

More Malaysians are working than ever

Labour force participation rate (share of working-age adults in the workforce), 2010–2025, now at record highs, led by rising women's participation.

63.8%201064.7%201165.6%201267.2%201367.7%201467.9%201567.7%201667.8%201768.4%201868.6%201968.4%202068.6%202169.5%202270%202370.6%202470.8%2025
Source: Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Labour Force Survey, Malaysia (monthly) · Labour Force Survey, annual average · % of working-age adults

What it means

  • Unemployment spiked to 4.6% in 2021, the worst in decades, as COVID hit, then fell steadily back to 3.0%, near pre-pandemic lows.
  • A record 70.9% of working-age Malaysians are now in the labour force, up from about 64% in 2010, driven largely by more women working.
  • Around 512,000 Malaysians were unemployed in early 2026, out of a 17.3 million-strong labour force.
  • A 'low' 3% headline doesn't capture underemployment or people outside the labour force, it counts only those actively seeking work.
Publisher
Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) · Government, national statistics office
Document
Labour Force Survey, Malaysia (monthly)
Published
2026
Source link
https://open.dosm.gov.my/dashboard/labour-market
Retrieved
2026-06-30
Coverage
Annual figures are averages of monthly Labour Force Survey data. Unemployment rate = unemployed persons as a share of the labour force. Participation rate = share of working-age adults in the labour force. 2026 figures reflect data to April 2026.
View official source ↗

Frequently asked

What is Malaysia's unemployment rate?

Malaysia's unemployment rate was 3.0% as of early 2026, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), near its lowest in over a decade.

What was Malaysia's unemployment rate during COVID?

It rose sharply during the pandemic, peaking at about 4.6% in 2021 (annual average), before recovering toward 3%.

What is Malaysia's labour force participation rate?

A record 70.9% of working-age adults were in the labour force in early 2026 (DOSM), up from around 64% in 2010.

Read next

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