ISKANDAR PUTERI, Sept 7 — Johor's unemployment rate fell to 3.8 per cent in the second quarter of this year, from 4.6 per cent in the same period last year.

Johor Investment, Entrepreneur Development, Cooperatives and Human Resources Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Izhar Ahmad said a total of 67,800 people were recorded as unemployed in the second quarter of this year, compared to 81,200 unemployed in the same period for last year.

"The extension of the movement control order (MCO) in early 2021 had resulted in several industrial, business and service sectors to experience operational restrictions.

"That in turn contributed to the reduction of consumption as well as job recruitments in the respective sectors,” he said.

Despite that, Mohd Izhar said the Labour Force Participation Rate in Johor recorded in the second quarter of this year showed an increase.

"It increased by 0.4 points to 67.6 per cent this year, compared to only 67.2 per cent recorded in the second quarter of the previous year," he told the Johor state assembly here today.

Mohd Izhar, who is also the Larkin assemblyman, said the state government's efforts to implement various initiatives to improve the performance of the investment sector in Johor had also yielded very positive results.

"Based on a report by Invest Johor, as of September 1, the cumulative value of investments that have the potential to be brought into the state this year is expected to reach RM5.521 billion,” he said, adding that the only pending matter was signing of the agreement documents for the deal.

On a related development, Mohd Izhar said Johor received a total inward investment worth RM1.7 billion as of March this year.

"Of the total, the value of foreign investments successfully brought into Johor is RM36.9 million, while the total value of local or domestic investments received is at RM1.33 billion," he said.