There was a 1.8 per cent increase, or 79,400 more persons engaged in the sector, bringing the grand total to 4.4 million persons, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) in its "The Quarterly Services Statistics, Third Quarter 2023" today.
Chief statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the 7.6 per cent growth was spurred by favourable performance in all segments of the services sector.
Significant contributors to the jump included the wholesale and retail trade, food and beverages and accommodation segment which rose RM28.7 billion to reach RM446.6 billion.
This is followed by information and communication and transportation and storage segment (up RM7.2 billion; 9.8 per cent), professional, real estate and administrative and support service segment (up RM3.1 billion; 9.4 per cent), and private health, private education, arts, entertainment and recreation and personal services and other activities segment (up RM2.2 billion; 12.3 per cent).
On the e-commerce income, Uzir said it had grown by 5.4 per cent to RM289.5 billion year-on-year in Q3.