Manufacturing sales value sees growth in Sept

The sales value of the manufacturing sector in September rose 3.3 per cent to RM52.6 billion compared to RM50.9 billion posted in the same month last year, the Statistics Department said in a statement here today. It attributed the increase in the sales value to higher sales in 83 of 116 industries (71.6 per cent) surveyed. The sales value on a month-on-month basis grew by 3.9 per cent or RM2 billion when compared to the preceding month due to the increase in the month-on month sales value in 78 of the 116 industries (67.2 per cent).

The department said the sales value in August 2012 had been a revised positive 1.0 per cent year-on-year to record RM50.6 billion. On a seasonally adjusted month-on-month basis, the sales value in September increased by 1.7 per cent as compared with the preceding month. It said the manufacturing sector in September 2012 engaged 1,023,055 employees, an increase of 489 persons or 0.05 per cent over the preceding month.

On a year-on-year basis, the number of employees grew 1.1 per cent from 1,011,956 persons in September 2011. The total number of employees in August 2012 was revised positive 0.8 per cent year-on-year to 1,022,566 persons. As for salaries and wages, the total payout in September rose by 2.7 per cent to RM2.517 billion on a month-on-month basis. The department said the total amount paid in September 2012 increased by 6.3 per cent (RM149.0 million) over the corresponding month in the previous year. For August 2012, salaries and wages paid out was a revised positive 5.7 per cent year-on-year to RM2.450 billion. The department said average salaries and wages per employee in September 2012 increased by 2.6 per cent to RM2,460 on a month-on-month basis. Average salaries and wages paid per employee in September 2012 grew by 5.1 per cent, as compared with the corresponding month of the previous year. Average salaries and wages paid per employee in August 2012 has been revised to a positive 4.9 per cent year-on-year to RM2,397. The department said average sales value per employee or productivity in September 2012 increased by 3.9 per cent to RM51,419 on a month-on-month basis. It said productivity in September 2012 increased by 2.2 per cent as compared with the corresponding month of the previous year. Productivity in August 2012 was revised to a positive 0.2 per cent year-on-year to RM49,512. The department said from January to September 2012, the sales value of the manufacturing sector grew 5.5 per cent or RM24.1 billion to RM466.2 billion as compared to RM442.1 billion in the same period of 2011. It said the number of employees engaged during the period increased by 1.1 per cent or 11,099 persons to 1,023,055 persons. Cumulatively, productivity or average sales value per employee in this period rose 4.3 per cent to RM455,690.