February manufacturing sales growth picks up steam

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s February manufacturing sales grew at a stronger pace at 15.7% or RM8 billion, rising to RM59.4 billion compared with RM51.4 billion reported a year ago.
The Department of Statistics said the strong growth was due to the increase in electrical and electronics products (13.8%), petroleum, chemical, rubber and plastic products (17.7%) and non-metallic mineral products, basic metal and fabricated metal (14.2%).
“These three sub-sectors contributed 79.6% to the sales value of the manufacturing sector,” it said in a statement yesterday.

The department noted that total employees engaged in the manufacturing sector in February 2017 was 1.04 million, an increase of 1.4% or 14,648 persons compared with 1.03 million in February 2016.
Meanwhile, it said salaries and wages paid in February 2017 increased by 0.3% or RM11.2 million to record RM3.22 billion, adding productivity increased by 14.1% to record RM56,989 as compared with the same month of the previous year.