KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 11 — Malaysia’s unemployment rate among youths is at 10.7 per cent, which is equivalent to 307, 700 people, for the second quarter of 2023, Human Resources Minister V. Sivakumar said today.

Citing data from the Department of Statistics, he added that the figure for jobless youths is higher than the overall unemployment rate of 3.5 per cent in the first quarter of this year.

"Although this percentage seems high, it should be emphasised that the unemployment rate in Malaysia as a whole is at 3.5 per cent.

"In the economic sense, the unemployment rate of less than 4 per cent is defined as full employment or with full permission employment,” he said in a written parliamentary reply to Labis MP Pang Hok Liang.

Pang, a backbencher from Barisan Nasional, had asked the government to explain the high unemployment rate among young Malaysians, especially fresh graduates.

The MCA politician also wanted to know what measures the government is taking to curb the loss of talent and improve competitiveness in human resources.

Sivakumar said the Academy in Industry Programme, jointly set up by his ministry with other agencies like the Malaysian Productivity Council, aims to help SPM graduates and other youths to acquire technical and vocational skill sets through hands-on training so they have better job prospects.

"This programme aims to reduce the skills gap, increase the marketability of trainees and provide hands-on exposure to the current working environment using the Dual National Training System method.

"The youths who follow this programme will be given skills education with 20 to 30 per cent theory and 70 to 80 per cent exposure to the companies involved,” he said.

National news agency Bernama had reported earlier this week that Malaysia’s overall unemployment rate is continuing to improve.

Citing the Statistics Department, Bernama said the overall unemployment rate in the first quarter was 3.5 per cent compared to 3.6 per cent in the last quarter of 2022.