Labour productivity in Malaysia, measured by value added per hour worked, increased by 2.6% to RM43.3 per hour in the third quarter of 2024, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

Chief Statistician Malaysia, Dato' Sri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin, highlighted the country's 5.3% economic growth during the quarter, supported by a 2.7% rise in total hours worked to 9.7 billion. Employment numbers rose to 16.7 million, a 2.9% year-on-year increase, with labour productivity per employment climbing 2.4% to RM25,077 per person.

The Construction sector drove growth, recording a 20.1% increase in labour productivity per hour worked, followed by Agriculture (4.1%), Manufacturing (3.4%), and Services (1.4%). The Mining and Quarrying sector saw a decline of 5.7%.

In the Services sector, Real Estate and Business Services, along with Transportation and Storage, led productivity growth at 7.6%, while Wholesale and Retail Trade recorded a slight decline at -0.3%.

In the Manufacturing sector, Wood Products, Furniture, Paper Products, and Printing posted the highest growth at 9.3%, with Electrical and Electronic Products following at 5.5%. However, some subsectors, including Beverages and Tobacco Products, experienced negative growth.

Datuk Sri Dr Mohd Uzir concluded, "In line with the favourable economic and labour market growth prospects, Malaysia's labour productivity is expected to record sustainable growth in the future, despite the challenging global environment."