Malaysia's manufacturing sales, a key driver of the economy, sank 22.4 percent year-on-year in July, official data showed Thursday.
The government's statistic department attributed the sharp fall to the poor performance of the iron and steel sector as well as the computer industry, amid lower demand due to the global economic slowdown.
The number of people employed in the manufacturing sector, which accounts for about a third of Malaysia's gross domestic product, dropped 7.4 percent from the same period a year ago, the department said.
Revised June manufacturing figures showed sales plunged 25.3 percent year-on-year.
The government has said the export-dependent economy is likely to contract by 4.0-5.0 percent this year due to the drop-off in exports and manufacturing.