KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 ― The sales value of the manufacturing sector dipped by 1.9 per cent year-on-year to RM158.7 billion in September 2023 from RM161.7 billion in the same month last year, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM).

Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the decrease was mainly due to the continuous decline of 12.3 per cent in the petroleum, chemical, rubber and plastic sub-sector.

"Additionally, the food, beverages & tobacco sub-sector contracted by 1.7 per cent and the wood, furniture, paper products & printing sub-sector fell by 0.7 per cent,” he said in the Monthly Manufacturing Statistics report released today.

As compared to the preceding month, the sales value increased by 4.3 per cent as against RM152.2 billion recorded in August 2023.

The sales value of export-oriented industries, which represented more than two-thirds of total sales, declined by 5.1 per cent in September 2023, mainly attributed to the decrease in the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products, manufacture of machinery and equipment, as well as the manufacture of vegetable and animal oils and fats.

Nonetheless, the domestic-oriented industries sustained their resilience and grew 8.1 per cent in September 2023 (August 2023: 7.2 per cent).

The continuous expansion was primarily underpinned by the substantial rise in the sales value of the manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery & equipment; as well as the manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers & semi-trailers, and the manufacture of food products.

On a month-on-month comparison, both export-oriented and domestic-oriented industries posted an increase of 4.4 per cent and 4.1 per cent, respectively.

Mohd Uzir said the manufacturing sector engaged 2.37 million persons in September 2023, an increase of 2.4 per cent as compared to the 2.32 million persons registered a year earlier.

Salaries and wages paid in the manufacturing sector increased by 3.20 per cent year-on-year, totalling RM8.1 billion in September 2023.

Meanwhile, in the third quarter of 2023, the sales value of the manufacturing sector continued to decelerate for two consecutive quarters, dropping by 2.7 per cent year-on-year as compared to the 1.0 per cent decline registered in the previous quarter.

For the first nine months of 2023 (9M 2023), the sales value of the manufacturing sector hit RM1.34 trillion, up 1.3 per cent as compared to the same period in the preceding year (9M 2022: 17.6 per cent). ― Bernama