Kuala lumpur: The labour market and business landscape remained resilient and under control throughout the first and second quarters of this year, said Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir. He noted that the trend in job losses was manageable, with 6,197 individuals unemployed as of June 22, representing 0.04 percent of Malaysia's total working population.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, this figure is 20 percent lower compared to the 7,766 people who lost their jobs in May 2026. Akmal Nasrullah shared these insights during the Ministers' Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat, where he responded to Mohd Syahir Che Sulaiman's inquiry on mitigation measures through the National Economic Action Council (MTEN) to address rising job losses and business downsizing following the energy crisis and global economic uncertainty.

As of April 2026, the country's total labour force had increased to 17.33 million, with the number of employed persons rising to 16.82 million. Akmal Nasrullah highlighted that the labour force participation rate remained stable at 70.9 percent, unchanged from the previous month, indicating the stability of current economic activity.

He mentioned that the unemployment rate experienced a slight increase from 2.9 percent in March to 3.0 percent in April, affecting 511.8 thousand people, but remained below the four percent full employment threshold. Positive progress was also observed in job redeployment, with MYFutureJobs recording a 55 percent increase in placements, from 12,119 in April to 18,756 as of June 12.

This development brings the total number of job placements in 2026 to 62,644, including placements via the MYFutureJobs portal and beneficiaries of the Employment Insurance System. Akmal Nasrullah emphasized that government intervention not only provided temporary support but also facilitated quicker re-entry of affected workers into the workforce.