Change countryChange indicator
2.9%down 0.1 points from Jul 2026August 2026 · released 9 Oct 2026
−1.7 ptsover 5 years
Get Malaysia unemployment rate updates by webhook
GET /v1/economics/MYS/unemployment
// webhook: { "type": "release.updated" }Read historical data and the release calendar by API.
Get an API keyKey data points
- Last release
- 9 Oct 2026
- Observation period
- August 2026
- Next release
- 11 Nov 2026, 04:00 UTC
- Previous
- 3.0% Jul 2026
- Highest
- 5.2% May 2020
- Lowest
- 2.6% Sep 2014
- A year ago
- 3.0%
- Data since
- 2010
Malaysia unemployment rate by year
| Year | Average | High | Low | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | 3.0% | 3.0%January 2026 | 2.9%February 2026 | ▼ −0.1 |
| 2025 | 3.0% | 3.1%January 2025 | 2.9%December 2025 | ▼ −0.2 |
| 2024 | 3.2% | 3.3%January 2024 | 3.2%June 2024 | ▼ −0.1 |
| 2023 | 3.4% | 3.6%January 2023 | 3.3%June 2023 | ▼ −0.2 |
| 2022 | 3.8% | 4.2%January 2022 | 3.6%June 2022 | ▼ −0.5 |
| 2021 | 4.6% | 4.9%January 2021 | 4.3%December 2021 | ▼ −0.6 |
| 2020 | 4.5% | 5.2%May 2020 | 3.3%January 2020 | ▲ +1.7 |
| 2019 | 3.3% | 3.4%April 2019 | 3.2%January 2019 | ▲ +0.1 |
| 2018 | 3.3% | 3.4%June 2018 | 3.2%February 2018 | 0.0 |
| 2017 | 3.4% | 3.5%August 2017 | 3.3%January 2017 | 0.0 |
| 2016 | 3.4% | 3.5%April 2016 | 3.3%January 2016 | ▲ +0.1 |
| 2015 | 3.2% | 3.4%September 2015 | 3.0%January 2015 | ▲ +0.4 |
| 2014 | 2.9% | 3.1%January 2014 | 2.6%September 2014 | 0.0 |
| 2013 | 3.2% | 3.6%November 2013 | 2.8%June 2013 | ▼ −0.1 |
| 2012 | 3.0% | 3.3%October 2012 | 2.7%August 2012 | ▲ +0.2 |
| 2011 | 3.1% | 3.3%September 2011 | 2.8%February 2011 | 0.0 |
| 2010 | 3.2% | 3.4%March 2010 | 2.9%October 2010 | ▼ −0.1 |
Download history
Preview
12 observations · January 2025 to December 2025
| Date or period | Value · Percent | Source |
|---|---|---|
| January 2025 | 3.1% | Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) |
| February 2025 | 3.1% | Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) |
| March 2025 | 3.1% | Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) |
| April 2025 | 3.1% | Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) |
| May 2025 | 3.1% | Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) |
| June 2025 | 3.0% | Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) |
| July 2025 | 3.0% | Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) |
| August 2025 | 3.0% | Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) |
| September 2025 | 3.0% | Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) |
| October 2025 | 3.0% | Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) |
| November 2025 | 3.0% | Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) |
| December 2025 | 2.9% | Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) |
Indicator info
- Category
- Labour
- Source
- Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM)
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Units
- Percent
The share of the labour force that is out of work and actively looking for a job.
Related indicators
Reports
Released 9 Oct 20262.9%August 2026
In 29 days
Next release, 04:00 UTC11 Nov 2026Q3 2026
History
| Period | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | 2.9% | −0.1 |
| July 2026 | 3.0% | 0.0 |
| June 2026 | 3.0% | 0.0 |
| May 2026 | 3.0% | +0.1 |
| April 2026 | 2.9% | 0.0 |
| March 2026 | 2.9% | 0.0 |
| February 2026 | 2.9% | −0.1 |
| January 2026 | 3.0% | +0.1 |
| December 2025 | 2.9% | −0.1 |
| November 2025 | 3.0% | 0.0 |
| October 2025 | 3.0% | 0.0 |
| September 2025 | 3.0% | 0.0 |
| August 2025 | 3.0% |
Common questions
What is the unemployment rate in Malaysia now?
The unemployment rate in Malaysia was 2.9% in August 2026, down 0.1 points from Jul 2026. The figure was released on 9 Oct 2026.
When is the next unemployment rate release for Malaysia?
The next release is scheduled for 11 Nov 2026, 04:00 UTC, covering Q3 2026.
What are the highest and lowest values of the unemployment rate in Malaysia?
In data since 2010, the highest was 5.2% in May 2020 and the lowest was 2.6% in Sep 2014.
Where does this data come from?
Published by Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), and shown here exactly as published. Publishers revise figures, and the latest published figure replaces the earlier one.
