KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia closed lower on Friday amid mixed regional market performance as investors turned cautious over a possible rate hike by the Bank of Japan (BOJ) and upcoming US economic data that may influence the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) interest rate decision next week. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) pared most earlier losses to settle 4.55 points easier, or 0.28 per cent, to 1,616.52 from Thursday’s close of 1,621.07. The benchmark index, which opened 0.37 of-a-point lower at 1,620.70, moved between 1,609.67 and 1,621.25 throughout the day. The broader market was negative, with decliners outpacing advancers 604 to 439. A total of 550 counters were unchanged, 1,151 untraded, and 18 suspended. Turnover declined to 3.17 billion units worth RM2.24 billion from 4.48 billion units worth RM2.75 billion yesterday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-presiden...
Malaysia maintained its decade-low unemployment rate of 3% in the third quarter of 2025 (3Q2025), but over one-third of graduates remain underemployed, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
Skill-related underemployment — referring to degree and diploma holders working in semi- or low-skilled jobs — edged up to 1.96 million people, representing 35.5% of all employed graduates.
Overall, the number of unemployed Malaysians fell 0.2% to 519,900, as the labour force grew 0.7% to 17.49 million, with employment rising to 16.97 million. The labour force participation rate also improved slightly to 70.9%.
Meanwhile, time-related underemployment, or workers seeking more than 30 hours per week, declined 5.5% to 133,300.
By state, Putrajaya recorded the lowest unemployment rate at 1.4%, followed by Pahang (1.7%) and Selangor (1.8%), which also led in labour force participation (78.2%).
Employment growth was broad-based, led by the services sector — particularly in wholesale and retail trade, accommodation and food & beverage, and information and communication. Other key industries like manufacturing, construction, mining, and agriculture also saw job gains.
Youth unemployment improved slightly, with the rate for ages 15–24 falling to 10.1%, while the 15–30 age groupremained unchanged at 6.2%.
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