by ANIS HAZIM / pic by MUHD AMIN NAHARUL

MALAYSIA’S manufacturing sector recorded its highest sales value of RM144.6 billion in March 2022 with 13.9% growth compared to the same month last year, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia.

On a month-on-month (MoM) comparison, the sales value rose 9.8% from RM131.6 billion last month.

Chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the sales value’s growth was driven by the electrical and electronics (E&E) products subsector (25.9%), especially in the manufacture of computers, electronic and optical products.

“The expansion was also attributed by the food, beverages and tobacco subsector (14.4%) supported by the manufacture of food products industries as well as the petroleum, chemical, rubber and plastic products subsector (6.3%) mainly in the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products industries,” he said in a statement today.

Meanwhile, the sales value for export-oriented industries which accounted for 72.2% of total sales value also recorded an increase of 16.8% from the same month in 2021.

For domestic-oriented industries, the sales value posted an increment of 7.1% in March 2022 compared to the same month a year ago.

“The growth of sales value for export-oriented industries was in a similar trend with the external trade exports and the price factors that remain favourable,” he said.

On MoM comparison, he noted that the export-oriented and domestic-oriented industries grew 11.2% and 6.4% respectively.

On employees in the manufacturing sector, Mohd Uzir said that there was an increase of 2.4% to 2.28 million employees from 2.23 million employees in March 2021.

“The increase was contributed by the E&E products (5%), wood, furniture, paper products and printing (2.9%), and transport equipment and other manufactures products (2.3%),” he added.

Additionally, the salaries and wages paid rose 4.4% amounting to RM7.84 million in March 2022 against the same month of the preceding year.

“The sales value per employee increased 11.2% to RM63,222 compared to the same month in 2021 of RM56,831. Meanwhile, the average salary and wages per employee were RM3,429 in March 2022,” he noted.

For the first quarter of 2022 (1Q22), manufacturing sales value grew 12.8% to RM415.3 billion compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

Meanwhile, the number of employees and salaries and wages rose 2.4% and 4.1% respectively in 1Q22.