Kuala lumpur: Labour productivity recorded positive growth across most states in 2024 with six states surpassing the national growth of 2.4 per cent, according to the Labour Productivity by State, 2024 report released by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) today. The six states were Pahang, Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Melaka, Selangor and Sarawak.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin stated that Malaysia's labour productivity rose by 2.4 per cent in 2024, recording value added per employment of RM99,265 per person, up from RM96,914 in 2023, as the country's economy grew by 5.1 per cent. Meanwhile, total employment increased to 16.6 million persons, indicating year-on-year growth of 2.6 per cent in 2024.

He further added that most states recorded encouraging growth in 2024, with six states outpacing the national growth rate. Pahang led with an expansion of 4.9 per cent, followed by Johor at 4.3 per cent, Kuala Lumpur at 3.0 per cent, Melaka at 2.8 per cent, Selangor at 2.8 per cent, and Sarawak at 2.7 per cent.

In terms of sectoral performance, the construction sector spearheaded overall growth with a significant increase of 16.4 per cent in 2024, followed by the manufacturing sector at 2.6 per cent, agriculture at 2.2 per cent, services at 1.8 per cent, and the mining and quarrying sector at 0.7 per cent.

Concluding his statement, Mohd Uzir emphasized that with sustainable labour market conditions and a stable economy, Malaysia's labour productivity remains on track for a resilient and positive outlook. He also highlighted the importance of continued investment in skills development, particularly through workforce training and education, digital transformation, communications, and data analytics, as key to sustaining improvements in labour efficiency across Malaysian states.