Sepanggar and Keningau Youth "Missing" From Sabah Unemployment Data — PERGAGAH Demands Explanation

Borneo Herald 

7.23PM MYT, 25-8-2026

By Brendon Beliku & Nazrin Ismail, Kota Kinabalu 

The State Government recently announced that Sabah's overall unemployment rate had fallen to 5.5 percent in Q1 2026, down from 6.0 percent the previous quarter. This figure has been widely presented as proof of the state's economic recovery.

But behind that encouraging headline number, a far more troubling fact was disclosed in the same State Assembly sitting: according to Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) figures for Sabah, unemployment among those aged 15 to 19 stood at 25.6 percent, while the 20-to-24 age group recorded 36.9 percent — meaning nearly 4 in 10 young adults in this state are without work.

More troubling still, the Ministry itself confirmed that **DOSM does not publish youth unemployment statistics broken down by district or local authority area — including Kota Kinabalu City itself.** In practical terms, this means youth in P.171 Sepanggar and P.180 Keningau have no official figure that actually represents their reality. The state can claim recovery at the aggregate level, but it cannot, and does not show whether that recovery is real on the ground in these two constituencies.

GBM’s youth wing, PERGAGAH considers this not merely a data gap, but an accountability gap.

In P.180 Keningau, a constituency whose economy remains heavily anchored in agriculture and smallholder farming, the real story is not simply "no jobs" but underemployment  (e.g. youth working part-time, seasonal, or forced to migrate to Kota Kinabalu or Peninsular Malaysia in search of better opportunities). State investments such as the agro-processing plant announced for Keningau are a welcome step, but there is no public accounting of how many local youth are actually being absorbed into such projects.

In P.171 Sepanggar, one of Sabah's most densely populated federal constituencies, covering Inanam, Kolombong, Manggatal and Telipok, the youth issue centres more on informal and gig work, rising urban cost of living and a widening gap between youth qualifications and access to higher income employment. The sitting Member of Parliament for this seat now also holds a Minister's post in the Prime Minister's Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) — a position that should mean greater attention and resources for youth issues in his own constituency, not less.

GBM & PERGAGAH DEMANDS:

1. That DOSM and the Sabah Ministry of Youth Development publish youth unemployment data broken down by Parliamentary/State constituency, not just the state average, so that the real situation in Keningau and Sepanggar can be identified and addressed specifically.

2. A youth employment action plan tailored to each constituency, not a “generic statewide programme” that accounts for local realities: the agricultural economy of Keningau and the urban, semi-formal economy of Sepanggar.

3. An annual public report from the Members of Parliament of both constituencies on youth employment initiatives implemented and planned.

Youth are not a statistic to be set aside just because the state average looks good. If the government cannot show the real numbers for Keningau and Sepanggar, how can the people believe this claimed economic recovery is actually reaching the ground?

We are not asking for sympathy, we are asking for data and action. Youth in our constituencies deserve to know where they actually stand, not simply be told that Sabah is 'improving' on average.

PERGAGAH, as the youth wing of Gabungan Bebas Merdeka (GBM) — remains committed to monitoring and raising youth issues across Sabah, beginning with P.171 Sepanggar and P.180 Keningau.#~Borneo Herald™