Friday, 21 May 2021 04:18 PM MYTThe labour market scenario in Q1 2021 has not returned to levels from pre-Covid-19 times although slower declines were observed for most of the indicators, which the department said signalled recovery momentum. — Picture by Firdaus LatifKUALA LUMPUR, May 21 — The labour market in the first quarter experienced a recovery despite targeted containment measures to manage the Covid-19 crisis at the beginning of the year, the Department of Statistics Malaysia said.
“In Q1 2021, the number of employed persons recorded a slight year-on-year decline by 7,000 persons to 15.24 million persons with the employment-to-population ratio dropped 1.1 percentage points to 65.3 per cent.Unlike Q1 2020 when the movement control order had forced closures of most economic activities as well as national and interstate borders, the DOSM said Q1 2021 saw more states being in recovery MCO while several others were in conditional MCO.
“Hence, the number of time-related underemployment fell 19.0 per cent as against Q1 2020 as more businesses resumed normal operation hours by mid-February 2021,” the department said. “Besides, there were 17.4 thousand jobs created in the private sector during the quarter,” the department said.