Manufacturing Workforce in Malaysia: Jobs, Vacancies & Wages
How many people Malaysia’s factories employ, how many jobs they cannot fill, what they pay, and how many foreign workers they rely on. Every figure links to its official source.
Key Statistics: Malaysia’s Manufacturing Workforce
The headline figures from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
people employed in manufacturing (July 2026)
unfilled manufacturing jobs in Q2 2026
of all job vacancies in Malaysia are in manufacturing
manufacturing vacancy rate, 9 times the services rate
average monthly salaries and wages per employee
paid in factory salaries and wages in July 2026
new manufacturing jobs created in Q2 2026
foreign workers in manufacturing (October 2025)
How Many People Work in Manufacturing in Malaysia?
Malaysia’s manufacturing sector employed 2.4 million people in July 2026, up 1.1% from a year earlier (DOSM, Monthly Manufacturing Statistics July 2026).
In the wider jobs survey, manufacturing accounts for 26.7% of all filled jobs in the private sector, or 2.42 million, second only to services. Malaysia had 9.25 million jobs in total in Q2 2026, up 1.7% (DOSM, Employment Statistics Q2 2026).
How Many Factory Jobs Are Unfilled in Malaysia?
Manufacturing had 114.0 thousand job vacancies in Q2 2026, 58.3% of all 195.7 thousand vacancies in Malaysia. The largest gaps were in electrical, electronic and optical products (35.1 thousand) and petroleum, chemical, rubber and plastic products (19.1 thousand) (DOSM).
Manufacturing’s vacancy rate is 4.5%, meaning 4.5 of every 100 factory positions are empty. In services the rate is 0.5%, so factories are 9 times more likely to have an unfilled post (DOSM infographic).
| Sector | Vacancy rate | Vacancies |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 4.5% | 114.0 thousand |
| Agriculture | 6.0% | 30.4 thousand |
| Construction | 2.1% | 26.5 thousand |
| Services | 0.5% | 24.3 thousand |
| Mining & quarrying | 0.6% | 0.5 thousand |
| All sectors | 2.1% | 195.7 thousand |
Source: Department of Statistics Malaysia, Employment Statistics, Second Quarter 2026, released 13 August 2026 (media statement, infographic). Private-sector registered establishments.
How Much Do Manufacturing Workers Earn in Malaysia?
Average salaries and wages in manufacturing were RM3,527 per employee in July 2026, up 1.7% year-on-year. Factories paid RM8.55 billion in salaries and wages that month, and RM60.1 billion from January to July, up 2.7% (DOSM).
Output grew faster than pay: sales reached RM1.20 trillion in January to July 2026, up 7.6%, or RM496,792 per employee.
How Many Foreign Workers Are in Manufacturing?
Manufacturing employed 622,388 foreign workers as at 15 October 2025, more than any other sector (Human Resources Ministry via NST). For the full national picture, see our foreign workers statistics page.
What Does Budget 2027 Mean for Factory Labour Costs?
The minimum wage is RM1,700 a month for all employers since 1 August 2025 (Skrine). A rise to RM2,000 is on the table, and the Economy Minister has said the decision rests with Budget 2027, tabled on 9 October 2026 (The Star).
Factories that rely on foreign workers also face the multi-tier levy, postponed to 2026 under the 13th Malaysia Plan (FMT). This page will be updated with the Budget 2027 measures.
Filling Production-Line Vacancies
With more than half of Malaysia’s vacancies sitting in factories, the hiring problem is not finding one worker but keeping a line staffed through peaks, turnover and permit delays.
Contract manpower supply lets a factory add or reduce headcount quickly while the supplier handles recruitment, permits and payroll compliance.
Sources and How to Cite This Page
Jobs, vacancy and job-creation figures come from DOSM’s Employment Statistics, Second Quarter 2026, which surveys registered private-sector establishments. Employment, wage and sales figures come from DOSM’s Monthly Manufacturing Statistics, July 2026. Foreign worker numbers come from the Human Resources Ministry. The comparison of vacancy rates is calculated by Service Pro.
Cite this page: Service Pro, “Manufacturing Workforce in Malaysia: Jobs, Vacancies & Wages”, https://servicepro.my/b2b-insights/manufacturing-workforce-malaysia-statistics/. Journalists and bloggers are welcome to use these figures, tables and charts with a link to this page.
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