Kuala lumpur: Malaysia’s manufacturing sector sales value rose by 2.4 per cent year-on-year to RM158.7 billion in May, a slight decrease from the 4.7 per cent year-on-year growth observed in April, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin highlighted that the growth in May 2025 was largely driven by the food, beverages, and tobacco sub-sector, which continued its robust expansion with a 13.0 per cent increase, compared to April’s 10.8 per cent growth. Additionally, the electrical and electronics (E and E) products, along with the non-metallic mineral products, basic metal, and fabricated metal products sub-sectors, contributed to the growth with increases of 5.0 per cent and 3.7 per cent, respectively.

Despite this growth, the sales value saw a slight decline of 1.1 per cent month-on-month, dropping to RM158.7 billion from RM160.4 billion in the previous month. Export-oriented industries, which made up 71.1 per cent of total sales, grew by 2.7 per cent in May, driven primarily by a 15.9 per cent increase in the manufacture of vegetable, animal oils, and fats.

The manufacture of computers, electronics, and optical products also saw an expansion of 4.9 per cent, while machinery and equipment n.e.c. grew by 7.7 per cent. On a month-on-month basis, export-oriented industries rebounded slightly by 0.1 per cent, while domestic-oriented industries expanded by 1.9 per cent in May.

The domestic growth was supported by a 10.5 per cent rise in the manufacture of food processing products, along with gains in the manufacture of basic metals and fabricated metal products. Despite these increases, domestic-oriented industries experienced a 3.9 per cent decline month-on-month.

The sector recorded a total of 2.40 million employees in May 2025, marking a 0.9 per cent increase from April. This growth was primarily driven by the food, beverages, and tobacco, non-metallic mineral products, and E and E products sub-sectors. However, there was a marginal month-on-month decrease of 0.1 per cent in the number of employees.

Salaries and wages in the manufacturing sector rose by 1.6 per cent to RM8.3 billion in May, with a slight month-on-month increase of 0.2 per cent. The sales value per employee was registered at RM66,163, and average salaries and wages per employee increased by 0.7 per cent to RM3,470 year-on-year.

For the first five months of 2025, the manufacturing sector’s sales value reached RM794.7 billion, representing a 3.8 per cent rise compared to the same period in 2024. The number of employees increased by 0.9 per cent, while salaries and wages saw a 1.9 per cent increase, totaling RM41.9 billion.