KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s manufacturing sector sales value rose 2.4 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) to RM158.7 billion in May compared with a 4.7 per cent y-o-y growth in April, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

Chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the May 2025 sales value growth was mainly contributed by the food, beverages and tobacco sub-sector, sustaining the strong expansion with a 13.0 per cent increase, against April’s 10.8 per cent expansion.

"This growth was also supported by the electrical and electronics (E&E) products and the non-metallic mineral products, basic metal and fabricated metal products sub-sectors, which rose by 5.0 per cent (April 2025: 9.6 per cent) and 3.7 per cent (April 2025: 4.6 per cent), respectively.

"However, the sales value dropped by 1.1 per cent to RM158.7 billion against RM160.4 billion recorded in the prior month,” he said in a statement following the department’s Monthly Manufacturing Statistics for May 2025, released today. 

He said the sales value in the export-oriented industries, which accounted for 71.1 per cent of

total sales, grew by 2.7 per cent in May 2025 (April: 5.1 per cent). The performance was primarily due to the increase in the manufacture of vegetable, animal oils and fats by 15.9 per cent (April 2025: 12.2 per cent).

Meanwhile, the manufacture of computers, electronics and optical products expanded by 4.9 per cent (April 2025: 10.2 per cent), and the manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c. (equipment not elsewhere classified) advanced by 7.7 per cent (April: 9.5 per cent).

On a month-on-month (m-o-m) comparison, export-oriented industries rebounded to 0.1 per cent (April: -3.3 per cent). Likewise, the domestic-oriented industries expanded by 1.9 per cent in May 2025, following a 3.6 per cent rise in April.

The performance was supported by robust growth in the manufacture of food processing products at 10.5 per cent in May 2025 (April: 10.0 per cent), as well as in the manufacture of basic metals (4.3 per cent) and manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment (3.5 per cent).

On a month-on-month comparison, domestic-oriented industries declined 3.9 per cent.

On the number of employees, Mohd Uzir said a total of 2.40 million employees were recorded in this sector in May 2025, on a 0.9 per cent augmentation (April: 1.2 per cent). The augmentation was mainly driven by the food, beverages & tobacco (1.8 per cent); non-metallic mineral products, basic metal and fabricated metal products (1.4 per cent); and E&E products (1.1 per cent).

On a month-on-month basis, the number of employees in this sector marginally decreased by 0.1 per cent.

"Salaries and wages paid in the manufacturing sector also posted an increase of 1.6 per cent (April: 2.4 per cent), amounting to RM8.3 billion in May 2025. Furthermore, the salaries and wages paid improved by 0.2 per cent compared with RM8.3 billion recorded in the preceding month,” he said.

Subsequently, Mohd Uzir said the sales value per employee registered at RM66,163 (1.6 per cent), while the average salaries and wages per employee were RM3,470, a rise of 0.7 per cent y-o-y.

In the first five months this year, he said manufacturing sector sales value amounted to RM794.7 billion, an increase of 3.8 per cent compared to the same period of 2024 (3.3 per cent).

The number of employees increased by 0.9 per cent to 2.40 million persons, while salaries and wages increased by 1.9 per cent to RM41.9 billion. - Bernama