Employment in Malaysia
Malaysia: Employment was 15,392 in 2022. ▲ Rising
Employment in Malaysia, 1970–2022
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment in Malaysia is 15,392, measured in 2022.
The figure is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 22.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in Malaysia peaked at 17,748 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 2,640, in 1970.
Malaysia ranks 34th of 174 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Employment in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2,640 | — |
| 1980 | 4,787 | +81.4% |
| 1981 | 5,067 | +5.8% |
| 1982 | 5,249 | +3.6% |
| 1983 | 5,457 | +4.0% |
| 1984 | 5,567 | +2.0% |
| 1985 | 5,653 | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 5,760 | +1.9% |
| 1987 | 5,984 | +3.9% |
| 1988 | 6,176 | +3.2% |
| 1989 | 6,391 | +3.5% |
| 1990 | 6,685 | +4.6% |
| 1991 | 6,098 | -8.8% |
| 1992 | 7,048 | +15.6% |
| 1993 | 7,383 | +4.8% |
| 1995 | 7,645 | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 8,400 | +9.9% |
| 1997 | 8,569 | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 8,600 | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 8,838 | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 9,269 | +4.9% |
| 2001 | 9,357 | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 9,543 | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 9,870 | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 9,980 | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 10,045 | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 10,275 | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 10,514 | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 10,715 | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 11,020 | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 11,291 | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 17,748 | +57.2% |
| 2012 | 12,545 | -29.3% |
| 2013 | 13,352 | +6.4% |
| 2015 | 14,068 | +5.4% |
| 2016 | 14,164 | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 14,477 | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 14,776 | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 15,073 | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 14,957 | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 15,064 | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 15,392 | +2.2% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 15,392 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3,125, 4.9× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 15,392 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1,872, 8.2× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Employment in Malaysia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +81.4% | 2,640 | 4,787 |
| 2011 | +57.2% | 11,291 | 17,748 |
| 2012 | -29.3% | 17,748 | 12,545 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2,640 | 2,640 | 2,640 | 1 |
| 1980s | 5,609 | 4,787 | 6,391 | 10 |
| 1990s | 7,696 | 6,098 | 8,838 | 9 |
| 2000s | 10,059 | 9,269 | 11,020 | 10 |
| 2010s | 14,166 | 11,291 | 17,748 | 9 |
| 2020s | 15,138 | 14,957 | 15,392 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More work & labour data for Malaysia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.2671 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.2772 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.2563 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.25 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.6933 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 36,440 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 5,289 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 21,832 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 22,194 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 44,026 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in Malaysia?
- Employment in Malaysia was 15,392 in 2022, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest employment recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 17,748 in 2011.
- What is the lowest employment recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,640 in 1970.
- How does Malaysia rank for employment?
- Malaysia ranks 34th out of 174 countries with data for 2022.
- Is employment rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).