KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 — Malaysia’s manufacturing sector recorded a 4.8 per cent year-on-year increase in sales value to RM160.6 billion in April, said the Statistics Department (DOSM).
Chief statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the growth was mainly driven by the food, beverages and tobacco sub-sector, which continued its double-digit expansion with an 11.1 per cent rise.
“This was accompanied by steady growth in the electrical and electronics products, and the non-metallic mineral products, basic metal and fabricated metal products sub-sectors, which expanded by 9.8 per cent and 4.6 per cent, respectively,” he said in a statement.
However, on a monthly basis, sales value fell 2.3 per cent from RM164.3 billion in March.
Uzir said export-oriented industries, which made up 70.3 per cent of total sales, saw growth mainly from the manufacture of vegetable and animal oils and fats.
Meanwhile, the manufacture of computers, electronics and optical products rose 10.6 per cent, while machinery and equipment increased by 7.9 per cent.
Domestic-oriented industries expanded by 3.6 per cent in April, supported by a 10.0 per cent rise in food processing products, 5.9 per cent in basic metals, and 3.7 per cent in fabricated metal products (excluding machinery and equipment).
On employment, Uzir said the sector recorded 2.4 million workers in April, an increase of 1.2 per cent year-on-year.
“The growth was largely supported by food, beverages and tobacco (1.9 per cent); non-metallic mineral products, basic metal and fabricated metal products (1.9 per cent); and electrical and electronics products (1.3 per cent),” he said.
Salaries and wages paid in April totalled RM8.3 billion, up 2.4 per cent from a year earlier, though they declined 0.9 per cent from RM8.4 billion in March.
As a result, sales value per employee rose by 3.6 per cent to RM66,907. Average salaries and wages per employee climbed 1.2 per cent to RM3,460.
— Bernama
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