Higher female labour force participation in Malaysia, Noraini says

The female labour force participation rate in the country is still significantly lower than that of the male, despite an upward trend over the past years, said Muslim World Women’s Summit president Noraini Ahmad.

According to Noraini, as of June last year, 56.3 percent of women entered the workforce, up from 55.5 percent in 2020 and 55.9 percent last year.

“Compared to the male labour force participation rate of 82.9 percent, women still lag far behind. Additionally, the country's female labour force participation rate is much lower than that of regional countries.

“Malaysia is ranked eighth out of 10 Asean countries in the International Labour Organisation 2022 report, with Laos leading at 74.8 percent, followed by Cambodia (74.0 percent), Vietnam (69.6 percent), and Singapore and Thailand at 59.4 percent and 59 percent respectively,” she said when appearing as a guest on Bernama TV’s ‘Apa Khabar Malaysia’ programme today.

As such, she said that the government has implemented several initiatives to increase female labour force participation, including extending tax incentives for women returning to work until Dec 31, 2027, as well as raising the limit of the child care allowance.

“Looking at the initiatives, the government has set a target to increase female labour force participation across different sectors in the country to 60 percent by this year,” she said.

Meanwhile, Noraini, who is also the deputy women, family and community development minister, said the Muslim World Women’s Summit 2024 will take place on Feb 23 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, bringing together women from around the world to explore new opportunities for social and economic growth.

Themed “The Powerful Women Next Generation Vanguard of Feminine Power”, the summit is anticipated to attract 15,000 participants from 57 countries.

- Bernama