Kuala Lumpur - A total of 22,887 workers, including more than 6,600 foreigners, have been said off in Malaysia in almost five months due to the global economic crisis, a news report citing government figures said Friday.

The retrenched workers came from a total of 654 employers, mainly from the manufacturing sector, and were laid of in the period from October until February 25, the Labour
Department said.

A total of 45,614 workers were temporarily laid off, while 22,965 were forced to take pay cuts in the same period, department Director General Ismail Abdul Rahim was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

Ismail said another 7,353 workers were expected to be laid off from February until December, with the northern state of Penang registering the highest number of layoffs.

Malaysia's unemployment rate was recorded at 3.5 per cent last year, a 0.2-per-cent increase from 2007. Government officials have predicted the number will rise to at least 4.5 per cent this year.

Malaysia, which workforce accounts to almost half of its 25-million population, is struggling to revive its ailing economy, which is mainly manufacturing- and agriculture-driven, amid rising unemployment and fears of recession. (dpa)