Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia’s manufacturing sector sales value rose 3.7 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) at RM164.3 billion in March 2025 as compared to a 4.7 per cent y-o-y growth at RM153.1 billion in February 2025.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) reported that this growth was primarily driven by the food, beverages, and tobacco sub-sector, which saw an 11.8 per cent increase y-o-y in March 2025.

Chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin highlighted that the electrical and electronics products and non-metallic mineral products, basic metal, and fabricated metal products sub-sectors also contributed to the growth, registering increases of 7.4 per cent and 4.0 per cent, respectively, compared to February 2025.

The sales value of export-oriented industries, which account for 70.9 per cent of total sales, expanded by 4.6 per cent y-o-y in March 2025. The manufacture of computer, electronics, and optical products rose by 8.0 per cent, while the manufacture of rubber products grew by 7.5 per cent during the same period.

In terms of domestic-oriented industries, there was a 1.8 per cent y-o-y growth in March 2025. On a month-on-month basis, export and domestic-oriented industries saw rebounds of 8.6 per cent and 4.2 per cent, respectively.

Regarding employment, the sector engaged 2.39 million persons in March 2025, marking a 1.1 per cent y-o-y rise. However, there was a slight decrease of 0.2 per cent in the number of employees month-on-month.

Salaries and wages in the manufacturing sector increased by 1.8 per cent y-o-y to RM8.4 billion in March 2025, despite a 0.4 per cent month-on-month decline. The sales value per employee increased to RM68,805, a 2.6 per cent rise, while the average salary per employee grew by 0.7 per cent y-o-y, reaching RM3,508.

For the first quarter of 2025, the sector’s sales value was RM475.6 billion, a 4.0 per cent increase from the same period in 2024. The number of employees rose by 1.1 per cent to 2.39 million, with salaries and wages up by 1.8 per cent to RM25.3 billion, and the sales value per employee showing a 2.9 per cent growth to RM199,108.