GEORGE TOWN, Feb 11 ― Various initiatives by the government to expand job opportunities for Malaysians have managed to bring down the unemployment rate to 4.2 per cent at the end of 2021.

Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said the lower figure, compared to 5.3 per cent in May of 2020, showed that the economy has been recovering.

"The government has managed to generate almost 560,000 jobs through Budget 2021 and this exceeded the target of 500,000 jobs.

"Going forward, Budget 2022 initiatives such as the JaminKerja programme with an allocation of RM4.8 billion will generate 600,000 jobs,” he told reporters after vising the Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) here today.

Meanwhile, Tengku Zafrul said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob will launch the JaminKerja Career Carnival on February 19. ― Bernama