Manufacturers express cautious optimism on exports, survey shows

Manufacturers surveyed by the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) on industrial exports expressed cautious optimism about the export outlook for the third quarter (Q3) of 2025.

In a statement, DSEC noted that major exports in Q3 included pharmaceutical products, electronic products and electrical appliances, alcoholic beverages and tobacco, and garments.

According to surveyed manufacturers, the average on-hand orders were 2.7 months in Q3 2025. Among them, the pharmaceutical products industry led with 4.5 months of orders on hand. The wearing apparel and electronics/electrical appliances industries had 3.5 and 2.5 months of orders, respectively, while the other non-textile products industry had 1.2 months of orders.

Regarding export prospects for the next six months, 55.2% of surveyed manufacturers expected no significant change in the outlook, up 2.1 percentage points from the previous quarter. Meanwhile, 25.7% were optimistic about the outlook, down 1.6 percentage points quarter-on-quarter.

Those pessimistic about the outlook accounted for 19.1%, down 0.5 percentage points from the last quarter. RM