April manufacturing sales records 8.2 per cent growth to RM65.5 billion

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s April 2018 manufacturing sales recorded a growth of 8.2 per cent in rising to RM65.5 billion as compared to RM60.5 billion reported a year ago.

The Department of Statistics in a statement noted that the significant increase in sales value in April was due to an increase in electrical and electronics products (13.9 per cent), petroleum, chemical, rubber and plastic products (6.3 per cent) and food, beverages and tobacco products (6.4 per cent).

As for total employees engaged in the manufacturing sector for the month, the number increased by 2.1 per cent to 1.07 million persons versus 1.05 persons in April 2017.

“Salaries and wages paid rose 10.2 per cent to record RM3.8 billion, thus registering an average of RM3,577 per employee in April,” it said.

Sales value per employee gained 6.0 per cent to record RM61,226 as compared with the same month of the previous year.

Meanwhile, the Industrial Production Index (IPI) increased by 4.6 per cent in April 2018 as compared with the same month of the previous year.

The growth in April was supported by the increase in all indices with manufacturing ( 5.3 per cent), mining (1.8 per cent) and electricity (5.8 per cent).

The manufacturing sector output rose by 5.3 per cent in April after recording a growth of 4.1 per cent in March.

The major sub-sectors which registered increases in April were electrical and electronic equipment products ( 6.6 per cent), petroleum, chemical, rubber and plastic products ( 3.0 per cent), and non-metallic mineral products, basic metals and fabricated metal products (4.7 per cent).

The mining sector output recorded an increase of 1.8 per cent in April 2018 compared to the same period of the previous year due to an increase in the crude oil index ( 4.4 per cent).