EMBARGO: Only to be published or disseminated at
12:00 hour,
Wednesday, 8 November 2023
MONTHLY PRINCIPAL STATISTICS OF LABOUR FORCE
- The number of employed persons further increased in September 2023 with a marginal rise of
0.1 per cent (+20.2 thousand persons) to record 16.38 million persons (August 2023:
16.35 million persons). During the month, the employment-to-population ratio, which indicates
the ability of an economy to create employment, remained at 67.7 per cent as of August 2023.
- In terms of the economic sector, the Services sector continued to exhibit increases in the number
of employed persons, especially in Wholesale & retail trade; Food & beverage services; and
Transportation & storage activities. Similarly, the Manufacturing, Construction, Mining & quarrying
and Agriculture sectors also witnessed an increase in the number of employed persons during the
month.
- In September 2023, 75.3 per cent of the total employed persons were in the employees’
category. As compared to the previous month, this category recorded a slight increase of
0.1 per cent (+10.3 thousand persons), reaching a total of 12.33 million persons (August 2023:
12.32 million persons). A similar trend was also observed in the own-account workers, with an
increase of 0.2 per cent (+7.4 thousand persons) to register 2.97 million persons (August 2023:
2.97 million persons).
- The number of unemployed persons declined further in September 2023 to record
573.7 thousand persons, reduced by 0.6 per cent (-3.6 thousand persons) as compared to
577.3 thousand persons in August 2023. The unemployment rate during the month stood at
3.4 per cent as in the previous month.
- The number of labour force continued to expand in September 2023, with a rise of 0.1 per cent
(+16.7 thousand persons) to 16.95 million persons (August 2023: 16.93 million persons),
registering 70.1 per cent of the labour force participation rate (LFPR) as recorded last month.
- The number of outside labour force in September 2023 went up by 0.1 per cent or 7.6 thousand
persons to 7.24 million persons (August 2023: 7.23 million persons). The main reasons for being
outside the labour force were due to housework/ family responsibilities (42.9%) and engaging
in schooling/ training (40.3%).
The full publication of the Labour Force Report, September 2023 can be downloaded through eStatistik Portal.
Released by:
DEPARTMENT OF STATISTICS MALAYSIA
08 NOVEMBER 2023
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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