Kuala Lumpur, Mar 9 (IANS): The number of unemployed in Malaysia declined further to 680,400 persons, registering an unemployment rate of 4.2 per cent in January 2022, official data showed on Wednesday.

The labour force situation continued to improve in January 2022, led by the continuous rise in employment while unemployed persons trended down, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) said in a statement.

According to the DOSM, the number of unemployed declined further by 1.1 per cent in January 2022 from 687,600 persons in December 2021, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, the number of employed persons rose by 0.2 per cent to 15.69 million persons from 15.65 million in December 2021, registering a higher employment-to-population ratio at 66.2 per cent in January 2022.

Consequently, the labour force increased by 0.2 per cent to 16.37 million persons from 16.34 million in December 2021, resulting in the increase in January's labour force participation rate to 69.1 per cent as compared to 69 per cent in December 2021.

"A healthier economic outlook is anticipated in the months ahead, reflecting by the leading index which was continuously above 100 points and rising in December 2021. This positive outlook will lead to the increase in business activities, thus creating more labour demand in the economy," said the DOSM.

"Creation of more job opportunities will encourage more labour participation, hence fostering the labour market to be more vibrant in the forthcoming months," it added