SANDAKAN: Sabah’s unemployment showed a significant recovery, declining to 5.4 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2025 compared to 7.2 per cent in the same period in 2024.
Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan said the decline meant that 30,400 individuals in Sabah had successfully exited the unemployment statistics following aggressive and continuous job placement initiatives.
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The Human Resources Ministry (Kesuma), through the Social Security Organisation (Perkeso) continues to focus seriously on the challenge of job mismatch in Sabah, which stands at 47.7 per cent higher than the national average of 43.8 per cent.
“There are still many local graduates trapped in underemployment, or working outside their field of qualification. Kesuma will continue strengthening interventions under the Lindung Kerjaya MyFutureJobs programme through Perkeso so that more jobseekers can be matched with suitable employment.
“To ensure faster and more accurate job matching, the MYFutureJobs portal has been enhanced with artificial intelligence (AI) technology, which resulted in the placement of 62,436 jobseekers across Sabah as of Feb 20, 2026.
“This initiative is further strengthened through Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes under the National TVET Policy 2030 to produce more highly skilled workers in Sabah,” he said, when officiating the Lindung Kerjaya MyFutureJobs @ Sandakan Carnival 2026 at the Sandakan Community Hall, Saturday.
His speech was delivered by Perkeso Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Operations) Azirruan Ariffin.
Khairul further said Kesuma and Perkeso have also outlined comprehensive strategies involving early intervention starting at the school level through the MyFutureJobs Career Exploration programme.
The initiative aims to ensure that the career pathways of Sabah’s younger generation are more focused and impactful before they enter the actual labour market.
“As a long-term measure, the Federal Government and Sabah will also continue working together to expand an efficient labour market ecosystem to smaller towns throughout the state. This collective effort aims to systematically reduce unemployment while improving the people’s standard of living through a competitive and protected workforce,” he added.
Regarding Lindung, he said it is the rebranding of Perkeso’s social security protection schemes launched on Aug 22, 2025 as a strategic move to strengthen its role in protecting the people.
The initiative covers four related acts, namely Lindung Pekerja (Act 4), Lindung Kerjaya (Act 800), Lindung Kendiri (Act 789) and Lindung Kasih (Act 838).
The approach is designed to be fresher, more inclusive, easier to remember and more impactful in delivering the message of social protection widely and effectively.
It also aims to expand outreach, increase awareness and strengthen public confidence in Perkeso as the main protector of social security.
A total of 300 job vacancies were offered by 16 employers participating in the carnival themed ‘Perkeso Lindung,’ which reflects Kesuma’s commitment to ensuring that every Malaysian has fair access to employment and is protected by a strong social safety net.
At the same event, Kesuma Madani aid baskets were also presented to Asnaf recipients from the Batu Sapi area in preparation for the upcoming Hari Raya celebration, in addition to the presentation of job offer letters to jobseekers who successfully secured employment from participating employers.
