Jobs on the rise: Malaysia's labour demand climbs to 9.06 million in Q1 2025, fuelled by services and manufacturing
PUTRAJAYA, May 15 — Malaysia's labour demand rose 1.4 percent in the first quarter (Q1) of 2025, reaching 9.06 million jobs compared to 8.94 million in the same period last year, according to the Employment Statistics released today by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the growth is in line with Malaysia's improving economic performance, projected to continue supported by resilient domestic demand.
Of the total jobs recorded, 97.9 per cent were filled, while the remaining 2.1 per cent were vacant.
He said the number of filled jobs rose 1.4 per cent year-on-year to 8.87 million in Q1 2025, compared to 8.75 million in the same quarter last year.
All sectors contributed to the growth, with the services sector leading at 1.8 percent, followed by manufacturing (1.5 percent) and construction (0.5 percent).
In terms of economic activity, the services sector accounted for the largest share of filled jobs at 52.8 percent or 4.69 million, followed by manufacturing at 26.9 percent (2.38 million), and construction at 14.1 percent (1.25 million), he added.
Commenting on the distribution by skills category, Mohd Uzir said the majority were in the semi-skilled category, accounting for 5.55 million or 62.5 percent of total filled jobs. This was followed by 2.23 million jobs in the skilled category and 1.09 million in the low-skilled category.
On current labour demand, he noted that job vacancies rose 1.2 percent year-on-year to 194,100 in Q1 2025, up from 191,900 in the same quarter last year.
He said the manufacturing sector remained the main contributor to job vacancies, making up 57.3 percent of total vacancies, with the electrical, electronic and optical products sub-sector recording 33,900 vacancies, followed by 20,200 vacancies in the petroleum, chemical, rubber and plastic products sub-sector.
The agriculture and construction sectors reported 31,800 and 25,400 vacancies, respectively.
By skills category, semi-skilled roles accounted for the largest share of vacancies at 56.3 per cent (109,200), while skilled and low-skilled roles made up 24.4 per cent (47,400) and 19.3 per cent (37,500), respectively.
On job creation, Mohd Uzir reported that a total of 33,200 new jobs were created in Q1 2025, an increase of 3.4 per cent from 32,100 jobs recorded in the same quarter last year.
'The rise in jobs created, especially in skilled and semi-skilled categories, may encourage individuals to pursue higher education and specialised training, building a workforce with expertise and innovation,' he noted.
He stated that Malaysia's labour demand is set for continued growth, reflecting the nation's commitment to strengthening its economic foundation and achieving sustainable development.
The manufacturing sector remained a key driver, with the Monthly Manufacturing Statistics reporting a 1.1 per cent year-on-year increase in employment within the sector during the quarter, he explained.
'This trend aligns with the objectives of the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030), which aims to drive employment growth and enhance workforce capabilities within the manufacturing sector,' he said. — Bernama
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
an hour ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Decision to review 13MP not made in haste, says Fahmi
Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said the prime minister had asked all ministries to study the draft of the 13MP and submit their feedback to the economy ministry. (Bernama pic) KUALA LUMPUR : The government's decision to review the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) is not a hasty reaction, but one that has gone through a discussion process over the past two weeks, said communications minister Fahmi Fadzil. Fahmi said the discussions began with a draft presented by the economy ministry's secretary-general to the Cabinet. 'We've actually discussed this. I mentioned (previously) that the prime minister had issued a directive to review the draft presented by the economy ministry's secretary-general. 'Any policy, programme or decision must first be presented at a Cabinet meeting. So, on Friday last week (June 20), the prime minister requested all ministries to study the draft and submit their feedback to the economy ministry,' the government spokesman said at a press conference after launching the Nadi Aspirasi Nasional Bersama Anak Muda programme organised by the community communications department (J-Kom) here today. Following that, he said, a special Cabinet meeting was held last Monday to review the feedback from the ministries. 'During the meeting, it was found that many matters raised by the ministries needed to be considered by the economy ministry in drawing up the 13MP document. 'That was one of the reasons why, at last Wednesday's Cabinet meeting – the latest one – it was decided that finance minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan would take on the duties and functions of the economy minister,' he said. Former economy minister Rafizi Ramli was reported to have questioned the government's move to review the 13MP, calling it a hasty response to social media criticism. This followed chief secretary to the government Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar's announcement yesterday that Amir had been tasked with 'reviewing and revamping' the 13MP, while concurrently performing the duties and functions of the economy minister, effective immediately. The 13MP is scheduled to be tabled in Parliament on July 31.
Free Malaysia Today
an hour ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Govt's revision of SST expansion proves it listens to rakyat, says Fahmi
The government announced yesterday that imported apples and oranges will be exempted from the expanded sales and service tax. (Envato Elements pic) KUALA LUMPUR : The government's decision to exempt certain imported fruits from the expansion of the sales and service tax (SST) is proof that it listens to the people, says unity government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil. 'Usually, the finance ministry does not change its position after it makes an announcement,' he said at an event in Pantai Dalam here today. Yesterday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the government has decided to exempt imported apples and oranges from the expanded SST. He said the government acknowledged that many from among the poor and B40 income group would buy these imported fruits as they were affordable. The finance ministry previously said that the expansion of the SST from July 1, including a 5% rate on imported fruits, was strategically aimed at bolstering local agricultural demand and strengthening food security. Fahmi also hailed the Energy Commission's decision to lower electricity tariffs, saying this shows the government is genuine in implementing reforms that will benefit the public. On June 20, the commission said some 23.6 million domestic users in Peninsular Malaysia will enjoy fairer electricity rates, through the new tariff schedule approved by the government. Under the new tariff scheme from July 1 to the end of 2027, the base average tariff will be adjusted to 45.4 sen/kWh from the 45.62 sen/kWh which was approved in December 2024. The current base tariff of 39.95 sen/kWh was set from 2022 to 2024.
Free Malaysia Today
an hour ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Cut SST to 4% and postpone new tax to January, says Chinese chamber
The Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia said rising costs, which have been felt in 2025, are expected to persist next year. KUALA LUMPUR : A business chamber has urged the government to cut the sales and service tax to 4%, provide higher thresholds and expanded exemptions, and postpone implementation of the expanded tax to January to allow businesses more time to prepare. The Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia said in a statement that adequate preparation was crucial to ensure better compliance and smooth implementation, Bernama reported. The chamber called for: a lower tax rate of 4% in the first two years (2026–2027) to ease the burden on businesses and consumers; a higher registration threshold, from RM2 million to RM3 million, for service tax on leasing, rental and construction services; a higher tax exemption threshold, of RM2 million in annual sales instead of RM1 million announced on Thursday, for small and medium-sized enterprises. 'We also propose a longer exemption period of 36 months for non-reviewable and reviewable contracts, to cover all project types due to the nature of the projects and their cycles,' the chamber said. The expanded SST applies to additional services (wellness centres, financial, and healthcare) and three new services (rental or leasing, construction works, and education), and is due to begin on July 1. The chamber said in a statement that it 'cautiously welcomed' the government's review of the expanded SST announced on Thursday. However, the chamber said there were concerns over multiple cost increases coinciding with a challenging global and domestic economic environment, exacerbated by the uncertainty surrounding US trade tariff policies and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. 'The effects of rising costs, which have been felt in 2025, are expected to persist or influence the business and economic landscape in 2026,' it added.
