Unemployment rate during each chief minister or Menteri Besar's tenure
16 chief ministers, Menteri Besar and territory ministers, ranked by how the unemployment rate changed from their first day in office, next to Malaysia over the same months. Politare shows what happened during a tenure; it does not claim the office-holder caused it.
| # | Chief minister or Menteri Besar | State | In office | Total | vs MY | Per year | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warisan Shafie Apdal | Sabah | 12 May 2018 – 29 Sep 2020 | +2.6 pp 2017 → 2020 | +1.5 pp MY +1.1 pp | +0.9 pp/yr | |
| 2 | N Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor | Labuan | 16 May 2013 – 2 Jul 2018 | +2.5 pp 2012 → 2018 | +2.2 pp MY +0.3 pp | +0.4 pp/yr | |
| 3 |  Shahidan Kassim | Perlis | 6 May 1995 – 17 Mar 2008 from 1995 | +1.6 pp 1995 → 2007 | +1.5 pp MY +0.1 pp | +0.1 pp/yr | |
| 4 | Sanusi Junid | Kedah | 16 Jun 1996 – 11 Dec 1999 | +1.2 pp 1995 → 1999 | +0.9 pp MY +0.3 pp | +0.3 pp/yr | |
| 5 |  Ahmad Yakob | Kelantan | 6 May 2013 – 15 Aug 2023 | +1.2 pp 2012 → 2023 | +0.8 pp MY +0.4 pp | +0.1 pp/yr | |
| 6 | Abu Hassan Omar | Selangor | 6 Jun 1997 – 18 Aug 2000 | +1.1 pp 1996 → 2000 | +0.6 pp MY +0.5 pp | +0.3 pp/yr | |
| 7 | Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman | Terengganu | 12 May 2014 – 10 May 2018 | +1.1 pp 2013 → 2017 | +0.8 pp MY +0.3 pp | +0.3 pp/yr | |
| 8 | Mohamad Khir Toyo | Selangor | 18 Aug 2000 – 13 Mar 2008 | +1.0 pp 2000 → 2007 | +0.8 pp MY +0.2 pp | +0.1 pp/yr | |
| 9 | Md Isa Sabu | Perlis | 17 Mar 2008 – 7 May 2013 | +0.9 pp 2007 → 2012 | +1.1 pp MY −0.2 pp | +0.2 pp/yr | |
| 10 | Bersatu Ahmad Faizal Azumu | Perak | 12 May 2018 – 10 Dec 2020 | +0.8 pp 2017 → 2020 | −0.3 pp MY +1.1 pp | +0.3 pp/yr |
Showing 10 of 50 tenures.
Sorted by total, highest first. Every row is indexed to the last count complete before the first day in office ("from" marks a start that had to move because that count had no data, or because the period cut it); Malaysia is measured over the same months. Levels are per cent changes, rates are differences in pp; "per year" compounds levels and divides rates. Tenures with under 12 months, or under three observations, are left out. % of labour force · Department of Statistics Malaysia (OpenDOSM, data.gov.my), Labour Force Survey, unemployment rate by state, ages 15 to 64, yearly (lfs_state_sex), dated at mid-year · state or federal territory data · as of Sep 2026.