MANUFACTURING sales rose 13.9% to record the highest value of RM144.6 billion in March 2022 from RM126.9 billion in the same period last year, said the Statistics Department (DOSM). 

The sales value increased 9.8% from the previous month, according to the DOSM’s monthly manufacturing statistics report for March 2022 released today.

Chief statistician Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the growth in sales value in March 2022 was driven by the electrical and electronics products subsector (25.9%), especially in the manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products.

“The expansion was also attributed by the food, beverage 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.

Uzir said the sales value for export-oriented industries, which accounted for 72.2% of total sales value, recorded an increase of 16.8%, while domestic-oriented industries posted an increment of 7.1% in March 2022 compared to the same month of 2021. 

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

On month-on-month comparison, export-oriented and domestic-oriented industries grew 11.2% and 6.4%, respectively, he added. 

Meanwhile, he said, in the first quarter of 2022, the sales value of the manufacturing sector rose 12.8% to RM415.3 billion as compared to the same quarter of the previous year. 

The increase was driven by electrical and electronics products (17.6%), food, beverages and tobacco products (16.3%), and petroleum, chemical, rubber and plastics products (9.7%). 

Uzir said the total employees engaged in the manufacturing sector improved 2.4% to 2,287,325 people in March 2022 from 2,233,545 people in March 2021. 

The report stated that salaries and wages paid increased 4.4% or RM328.6 million to RM7.8 billion in March 2022 from the same month of the preceding year. – Bernama, May 10, 2022.