SANDAKAN: Sabah’s unemployment rate recorded a significant recovery trend, declining to 5.4 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2025 compared to 7.2 per cent in the same period of 2024.
Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan said the decline saw 30,400 individuals in Sabah exit unemployment statistics through aggressive and continuous job placement initiatives.
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However, he said the Human Resources Ministry through the Social Security Organisation (SocSO) continues to focus on the job mismatch challenge in Sabah, which stands at 47.7 per cent compared to the national average of 43.8 per cent.
He said the MyFuture Jobs portal, strengthened with artificial intelligence technology, has recorded the placement of 62,436 jobseekers across Sabah as of Feb 20, 2026, with further support from Technical and Vocational Education and Training (Tvey) programmes under the National Tvet Policy 2030 to produce more highly skilled workers.
Khairul said this when officiating the Lindung Kerjaya MyFuture Jobs @ Sandakan 2026 Carnival at the Sandakan Community Hall on Saturday, with his speech delivered by Socso Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Operations) Azirruan Ariffin, where 300 vacancies were offered by 16 participating employers.
