Saturday, June 13, 2026

UNEMPLOYMENT NOW ABOVE HALF A MILLION. SO WHAT? WHO CARES?

 

1. SINAR HARIAN


MY COMMENTS:  Amaran kepada kerajaan?  Segera bertindak? Macam lah kerajaan peduli apa pun? Depa peduli pun bukan depa tahu buat apa pun. Kalau depa tahu buat kerja, takkan pengangguran makin meningkat. 


2. SAYS.com



  • More than half a million Malaysians unemployed as of April 2026
  • unemployment rate climbed for first time in six months
  • according to Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM)
  • unemployment rose to 3.0% from 2.9% in March
  • number of unemployed people to 511,800
  • increase of 3,000 individuals in a single month 
  • highest level recorded since October last year
  • Malaysia's economy is expanding
  • exports are surging
  • businesses continue hiring
  • Of 511,800 unemployed nearly four in five looking for work 
  • ie 407,100 or 79.5% of all unemployed M'sians.
  • people not actively seeking jobs rose at faster pace
  • 104,700 people or one-fifth of country's unemployed 
  • unemployment aged 15 - 24 unchanged at 10.2%
  • more than three times national average
  • 290,800 youths in this group unemployed.
  • broader 15-to-30 age group worsening picture
  • unemployed individuals in this category 394,700.
  • more than 75% unemployed people in Malaysia below 30 
  • total number of employed persons rising to 16.82 million.


MY COMMENTS:  Total number of employed has increased to 16.82 million. Despite this, the unemployed has also risen to 511,800. Out of this 511,800 unemployed, 80% of them or 407,100 are actively looking for work but cannot find any suitable work.

Then it says:

  • Malaysia's economy is expanding
  • exports are surging
  • businesses continue hiring

So something is seriously wrong here. In an expanding economy, where exports are surging the unemployment rate is also rising. 

This begs the question - give a racial breakdown of the unemployed. I can guess that the majority of these young unemployed are Malays. Unemployable skill sets, poor language skills especially English, poor people skills, poor work skills etc. These are also the usual reasons why anyone would be unemployed in the first place. 

But I would add the THREE MILLION people in the gig economy - delivering food and parcels around the country - to the total number of unemployed. The gig economy is not full employment. It is part time employment. It is part of the informal economy. No regular working hours, no regular income, no EPF, no pension, no retirement scheme.

Ok time for soalan cepu emas. So what? Who cares? 
The unemployment numbers are creeping up. And then what? 
What are they going to do? 
Go to Pudu, buy some puttu and saa-pudu.
Thats it. Nothing is going to be done.

Rayuan saya: Orang Melayu please wake up. For the past 56 years (since 1970) they have been cultivating crows. Now the crows are coming home to roost. Things are breaking down. But not equally for everyone. That is why I say - give the racial breakdown. Some people are breaking down more than others. Because of silly and foolish racial policies. At last everything is being pulled down. 

The solution? It is so easy. I can fix the whole country in 12 months. Just ask Syed Akbar Ali. Or read my blog. Or listen to my podcasts.