KOTA KINABALU, Nov 29 — The unemployment rate in Sabah has dropped to 8.2 per cent or 174,200 people in the third quarter of this year, the Sabah State Assembly was told today.

Sabah Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Yaakub Khan said that based on statistics from the Statistics Department, the figure was lower compared to 8.6 per cent or 177,000 people in the second quarter of 2022 and 9.1 per cent or 188,300 people in the first quarter.

“The statistics showed the effectiveness of high-impact programmes such as Pitchborneo, career carnivals, technical and vocational training, entrepreneurship and various skills training and competency improvement programmes for youth and graduates to enable them to be more competitive in the job market.

“A total of 15,554 youths has secured a job this year through various initiatives under this ministry,” he said when winding up the debate on the Sabah Budget 2023.

Meanwhile, Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said Sabah had exceeded the 1.3 million tourist arrival target for this year in just 10 months.

He said within the 10 months, Sabah recorded 1,356,056 visitors, an increase of 752.9 per cent compared to last year, with an estimated tourism receipt of RM2.4 billion.

Joniston added that the domestic tourism sector was the largest contributor to the number of tourist arrivals, with 1,180,050 people, while 176,006 foreign tourists were recorded during the period.

“Several international markets showed a significant increase, such as Singapore, Brunei and the Europe market, including the United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands, reaching 43 per cent to 64 per cent from the pre-pandemic period,” he said.

Elaborating, he said Sabah currently receives 354 domestic flights with a capacity of 57,991 seats every week and 47 international flights with a capacity of 8,558 seats through direct flights from five destinations — Singapore, Bandar Seri Begawan, Incheon, Manila and Bangkok.

“Sabah is also expected to receive additional international flight services from Taipei, Narita, Busan and Hong Kong from December 2022,” he said.

During the session, Sabah Special Functions Minister Datuk Mohd Arifin Arif announced the establishment of the Sabah Halal Council through the state Cabinet meeting on November 23, which among others, would decide on halal issues and coordinate actions related to halal products, ingredients or food involving the jurisdiction of relevant agencies.

He said the council could also propose any new measures to address halal-related issues in the state, which are subject to the current policies and legal provisions in force.

“The issue of the entry of food products, especially meat products involving cows, buffaloes and chickens with dubious halal status, prompted the coordination at the state and federal government agencies level,” he said.

State assembly speaker Datuk Seri Kadzim M Yahya later adjourned the sitting to tomorrow. — Bernama