PUTRAJAYA, May 21 — Malaysia’s labour productivity stood at RM45.5 per hour worked in the first quarter of 2026, growing by 4.8 per cent compared with 5.8 per cent in the same quarter last year.
According to the Malaysia Labour Productivity Statistics for the first quarter of 2026, released by the Malaysian Statistics Department, the increase was supported by economic growth of 5.4 per cent and a stable, favourable labour market.
Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said labour productivity per worker rose by 4.3 per cent to RM26,171 in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the previous quarter.
“The performance was driven by a 1.0 per cent increase in the number of workers, which stood at 16.7 million in the first quarter of 2026.
“Total hours worked rose marginally by 0.5 per cent to 9.6 billion hours, compared with a 0.3 per cent increase in the fourth quarter of 2025, when total hours also stood at 9.6 billion,” he said in a statement today.
In terms of sectoral performance, labour productivity, measured as value added per hour worked, showed that the construction sector led overall growth, with a 7.8 per cent increase, compared with 10.8 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2025.
This was followed by the manufacturing sector, which grew by 5.8 per cent compared with 6.7 per cent previously; the services sector, at 4.5 per cent compared with 5.4 per cent; and the agriculture sector, at 3.6 per cent compared with 5.8 per cent.
“Meanwhile, the mining and quarrying sector fell by 2.4 per cent, compared with growth of 1.2 per cent in the previous quarter,” Uzir said.
In terms of labour productivity, measured as value added per worker, all sectors recorded the same growth rate this quarter, with the construction sector leading overall performance at 7.0 per cent, down from 10.2 per cent, followed by manufacturing at a steady 5.8 per cent, services at 4.1 per cent (4.8 per cent previously), and agriculture at 2.5 per cent (5.8 per cent previously).
“Meanwhile, the mining and quarrying sector fell by 2.5 per cent, compared with a 0.8 per cent decline in the fourth quarter of 2025,” he said.
Labour productivity is expected to stay on a positive path, supported by Malaysia’s resilient economic performance in a challenging global environment.
