Malaysia’s manufacturing sector expanded in September 2025 with stronger sales and incremental job growth, signalling continued labour demand despite easing momentum from last year. Monthly sales rose 4.3% year-on-year to RM169.3 billion, an acceleration from 2.7% in August. Growth was led by food, beverages & tobacco (+9.1%), followed by Electrical & electronics products (+6.4%) and Non-metallic mineral products, basic metal & fabricated metal products (+2.7%). Month-on-month, sales increased 0.6%.
Export-oriented industries, which make up 72.3% of total manufacturing sales, grew 3.8% in September, supported by stronger performance in vegetable & animal oils & fats manufacturing (+7.8%), computer & electronics (+6.1%) and machinery & equipment (+5.2%). Domestic-oriented industries rose 5.7%, driven by 10.5% growth in food processing, alongside gains in basic metals and fabricated metal products.
Manufacturing employment reached 2.4 million workers in September, up 1.0% year-on-year and 0.5% month-on-month, showing continuous hiring momentum across major sub-sectors—particularly food, electronics and metals. Total salaries and wages rose 2.0% to RM8.4 billion, while average wages per employee increased 1.1% year-on-year to RM3,479.For Q3 2025, manufacturing sales climbed to RM500.1 billion, up 3.5%, with wages and headcount both rising 1.0%. Between January and September 2025, cumulative sales reached RM1.5 trillion (+3.6%). The data highlights steady labour absorption and wage growth even as overall sector expansion moderates, signalling continued workforce stability through the final quarter.