Factories hired more workers, higher salaries reported

Production line at Denko's factory.

KUALA LUMPUR: More workers were hired by the manufacturing sector in November 2018 while higher salaries and sales value were also recorded, according to the Statistics Department's data.

Its chief statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said on Friday the total employees hired in the sector rose by 2% or  21,200  to 1.075 million workers from 1.054 million persons in November 2017. 

Salaries and wages paid rose 9% or RM316.6mil to record RM3.846bil, which was an average of RM3,575 per worker in November 2018.

Sales value per employee increased by 5.6% to RM66,709 from a year ago.

Uzir said manufacturing sales grew by 7.7% to RM71.8bil from a year ago due to the increase in transport equipment and other manufactures products (11.6%); petroleum, chemical, rubber and plastic products (10.9%) and electrical and electronics products (7.2%).