Managing (un)employment during a large-scale pandemic that we are facing today is very challenging due to the rapid change in the number of jobs and the unemployed. The dynamic movement of the unemployment rate makes it hard for labor market conditions to be managed during the crisis and post-crisis. This calls for the labor market leading indicator (LMLI) approach to anticipate the unemployment rate and provide early signals of labor market conditions. An outlook on the unemployment situation is an essential tool for labor market monitoring in Malaysia.

This study addresses the importance of having accurate, relevant, timely and accessible indicators, which are essential for labor market policy monitoring and evaluation. The main output of this study is to produce “leading indicators” for tracking or forecasting the direction of changes in unemployment rates.