Manufacturing Sales in March’12 up 3.1%

Friday, 18 May 2012 05:52

Malaysia's manufacturing sales value grew by 3.1% or RM 1.6 billion in March 2012 to record RM 54.6 billion as compared with the corresponding month in 2011, according to the latest statistical release from the Department of Statistics (DOS).

Month-on-month, the sales value in March 2012 was 10.1% or RM5.0 billion higher. Sales value in February 2012 was a revised positive 12.1 % to post RM 49.6 billion compared with the corresponding month a year before.

The year-on-year increase in sales value in March 2012 was mainly due to significant increases in five major manufacturing industries- Refined Petroleum Products (19.3%), Computer and Computer Peripherals (12.3%), Basic Iron and Steel Products (12.8%), Other Chemical Products Not Elsewhere Classified (79.1%) and Plastics in Primary Forms and Synthetic Rubber (10.6%).

For the first three months of the year, the sales value of the manufacturing sector added 6.2% or RM 8.8 billion to register RM 152.9 billion as compared with the same period in 2011.

The total employment in the manufacturing sector in March 2012 was 1,027,134 persons, a drop of 0.2% or 1,799 persons compared with the same month in 2011.

Compared with the month before, there was a drop of 2,141 persons employed in the manufacturing sector in March 2012. The total number of employees in February 2012 was a revised positive 0.9% year-on-year to record 1,029,275 persons.

Productivity or average sales value per employee in March 2012 was 3.3% higher at RM 53,132 compared with March 2011.

Month-on-month, the productivity in March 2012 was 10.3% higher while productivity in February 2012 was a revised positive 11.0% to record RM48,166, year- on-year.

On a cumulative basis for the first three months of 2012, productivity in the sector was 6.3% higher at RM 148,862.

Adapted from Department of Statistics (DOS) statistical, NST Business Times and StarBiz