EMBARGO: Only to be published or disseminated at
12:00 hour,
Friday, 8 March 2024
LABOUR FORCE STATISTICS, JANUARY 2024
- In January 2024, the number of employed persons continued in an upward trend, with a rise of
0.2 per cent (+25.3 thousand persons) from the previous month to record 16.48 million persons
(December 2023: 16.46 million). During the month, the employment-to-population ratio, which
denotes the ability of an economy to create employment, rose by 0.1 percentage points to
67.9 per cent (December 2023: 67.8%).
- By economic sector, the number of employed persons in the Services sector remained increasing,
notably in Wholesale & retail trade; Food & beverage services; and Transportation & storage
activities. A similar trend was also observed in the number of employed persons in the
Manufacturing, Construction and Mining & quarrying sectors in January 2024. The number of
employed persons in the Agriculture sector rebounded during the month compared to last month.
- The majority of employed persons in January 2024 were in the employees' category, constituting
75.2 per cent. This category saw a marginal increase of 0.1 per cent (+14.2 thousand persons),
totaling 12.39 million persons compared to 12.38 million in December 2023. On the same note,
the own-account workers category continued its increasing trend during the month, rising by
0.3 per cent (+10.3 thousand persons) to 3.01 million persons (December 2023: 3.0 million
persons).
- In January 2024, the number of unemployed persons decreased further, with a marginal drop of
0.1 per cent (-0.5 thousand persons) to 567.3 thousand persons (December 2023:
567.8 thousand persons). January’s unemployment rate remained at 3.3 per cent as recorded
in the previous month.
- The labour force in January 2024 saw further enhancement, increasing by 0.1 per cent
(+24.8 thousand persons) to 17.05 million persons compared to the previous month
(December 2023: 17.03 million persons). The labour force participation rate (LFPR) during the
month was unchanged at 70.2 per cent, as in the preceding month.
- The number persons of outside the labour force posted a marginal decline of 0.01 per cent to
7.23 million persons in January 2024 compared to the previous month (December 2023: 7.23
million persons). The major composition of those outside the labour force was housework/ family
responsibilities, accounting for 42.5 per cent, while schooling/ training ranked second with
40.8 per cent.
The full publication of the Labour Force Report, January 2024 can be downloaded through eStatistik Portal
Baharudin Mohamad
Public Relation Officer
Strategic Communication and International Division
Department of Statistics Malaysia
Tel : +603-8090 4681
Fax : +603-8888 9248
Email : baharudin[at]dosm.gov.my
Copyright ©2026 Department of Statistics Malaysia Official Portal. All Rights Reserved.
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