KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7 — Malaysia’s worker productivity increased by 2.4 per cent in 2024, with value added per worker amounting to RM99,265 compared to RM96,914 in the previous year, according to the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI).
Deputy Minister Liew Chin Tong said the rate was calculated based on the value of gross domestic product (GDP) divided by the number of current workers aged between 15 and 64.
“The country’s worker productivity continues to show improvement, in line with the government’s efforts to transform the manufacturing sector through the adoption of the latest technology and automation,” he said during a question-and-answer session in Dewan Rakyat today.
He said this in response to a question from Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari (PH–Gombak) regarding the latest productivity level of Malaysian workers and the ministry’s strategy to encourage companies and employers to invest in new technologies to boost productivity.
Liew said the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030) represents the government’s commitment to making the manufacturing sector more productive through investment in new technologies, including the target of establishing 3,000 smart factories by 2030.
“The 13th Malaysia Plan also sets a target to reduce the ratio of foreign workers to the total workforce from 15 per cent to 10 per cent,” he said.
He noted that among the main initiatives being implemented are the Productivity Nexus by the Malaysia Productivity Corporation, which aims to enhance productivity in 14 selected sectors — including electrical and electronics, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals — as well as the Smart Tech-Up programme, which builds on the earlier Industry4WRD initiative.
Liew added that the implementation of the NIMP Strategic Co-Investment Fund (CoSIF), which introduces a blended financing model, also supports the financing of high-impact strategic projects to accelerate the transformation of local industries.
