PUTRAJAYA - Five states recorded a female labour force participation rate exceeding the national rate of 56.6 per cent in 2025, with the highest record in Putrajaya at 79.7 per cent, according to the Annual Labour Force Statistics, Malaysia, 2025.
Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said Selangor recorded the second highest female labour force participation rate at 70.7 per cent, followed by Kuala Lumpur at 66.9 per cent, while Melaka and Penang each recorded 58.3 per cent.
"Malaysia's labour market continues to strengthen in 2025, supported by continued economic resilience and an improving employment position.
"The unemployment rate continued to decline to 3.0 per cent, the lowest level in a decade," he said.
He said the number of people outside the labour force increased slightly to 7.03 million people with the majority remaining inactive due to housework or family responsibilities comprising 43.8 per cent, followed by those in school or training at 42.2 per cent.
Regarding the underemployment indicator, Mohd Uzir said a better performance was recorded in 2025, with the number of people working less than 30 hours a week.
"This was due to the working conditions or insufficient work with a decrease of 4.4 per cent to 203,100 people, recording a lower underemployment rate at 1.2 per cent compared to 1.3 per cent in 2024," he said. - BERNAMA