PUTRAJAYA, Nov 14 — The 2024 Third Quarter (3Q) Labour Force Statistics report showed labour demand hit its highest level since 2018, with 9.01 million job openings.
Chief statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said this marks a steady 1.2 per cent year-on-year increase in job vacancies.
“This is in line with the gradual decline in the unemployment rate to 3.2 per cent, as shown in the same report. The statistics published in this report are based on the Labour Force Survey conducted on registered businesses in the private sector,” he said in a statement today.
The report also shows a 1.2 per cent increase in filled positions, reaching 8.82 million jobs, compared with 8.71 million in the same period last year.
Uzir said the consistent upward trend in the number of filled positions reflects ongoing economic growth.
“This stability is further reflected in positive year-on-year growth in filled positions across all economic sectors,” he noted.
He said agriculture experienced the highest growth at 1.8 per cent, followed by the services and manufacturing sectors at 1.6 per cent and 1 per cent, respectively.
The services sector led with 4.65 million positions, followed by manufacturing with 2.38 million, and construction with 1.24 million.
Regarding job vacancies, Uzir reported 191,800 vacancies in this quarter, marking a 0.4 per cent rise from 190,900 vacancies in 3Q last year.
The report also showed 31,800 new positions to meet growing demand across various sectors, slightly down from 32,000 vacancies in 2023.
He added that the working population increased by 2.9 per cent, with the services sector seeing a 1.7 per cent year-on-year growth in workers, reflecting the positive momentum driven by economic activity.
— Bernama
