KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia's labor productivity per hour worked rose 5.5 percent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, accelerating from 4.8 percent growth in the previous quarter, official data showed Thursday.
Value added per hour worked increased to 46.50 ringgit from 45.50 ringgit in the first quarter, supported by a 6 percent expansion in economic activity, the Department of Statistics Malaysia said in a statement.
Total hours worked rose 0.5 percent to 9.6 billion hours.
Labor productivity measured by value added per employment grew 4.9 percent year-on-year, compared with 4.3 percent in the first quarter.
Value added per employee increased to 26,595 ringgit from 26,168 ringgit, while total employment rose 1.1 percent to 16.8 million.
Sustained productivity gains would remain crucial to improving economic efficiency, competitiveness and long-term growth, it said. (1 ringgit equals 0.25 USD) ■