KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIAN manufacturing sales, a key driver of the economy, rose 2.6 per cent in October compared with a year earlier, according to official data released on Friday.

The statistics department attributed the modest rise, which compares with a revised 8.6 percent annual rise in September, to the strong performance of refined petroleum products and computer products.

Measured against the previous month, manufacturing sales in October fell 9.4 per cent to a total of RM45.9 billion (S$19.2 billion) from RM50.7 billion.

The number of people employed in the manufacturing sector, which accounts for about a third of Malaysia's gross domestic product, fell 0.2 per cent from the previous month to 1.065 million, it said.

For the first 10 months of the year, the manufacturing sector grew 13.5 per cent to RM488.3 billion. -- AFP