Market Watch 2012 Construction Industry in Malaysia

General information about Malaysia

Malaysia is centrally located within the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN). Consisting of two regions separated by the South China Sea the Malaysian Peninsula and the states of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo Malaysia is a federation of 13 states and three federal territories. The former British colony gained its independence in 1957. Since Independence, Malaysia has adopted the political system of a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch whose position is rotated every five years between each of the nine hereditary state rulers. The political scene has been characterized by an extra-ordinary degree of political stability and continuity through an encompassing national coalition of political parties. Its territory comprises approx. 330,000 sq km, four fifths of which are covered by tropical rainforest. Due to its bio-diverse range of flora and fauna offering excellent beaches and brilliant scenery, the country is one of the regions key touristic destinations. Malaysia is a multi-ethnic, multicultural and multilingual society with 28.66 million members. Ethnic Malays make up the majority of the population at 57.1% followed by Chinese at 24.6%, Indian at 7.3% and other local ethnicities at 11%. The Malaysian constitution guarantees freedom of religion, although Islam is the largest and official religion. Approx. 61.3% of the population practice Islam, 19.8% Buddhism, 9.2% Christianity, 6.3% Hinduism, and 2.6% practice Confucianism and other traditional Chinese religions. The official language of Malaysia is Bahasa Malaysia, but English as well as Chinese are the business languages.

Economical Overview
Malaysia is a dynamic country which is constantly evolving. Being a middle-income country, Malaysia has transformed itself since the 1970s from a producer of raw materials into an emerging multi-sector economy spurred on by high technology, knowledge-based and capitalintensive industries. Malaysias Economic Performance ranking improved to 7th place out of 59

Market Watch 2012, Construction Industry

economies this year compared with 12th position in 2007.1 It is one of the 20 largest trading nations worldwide and was headed of Taiwan, Sweden, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.2 The World Competitiveness Yearbook 2011 Report released by the Institute for Management Development (IMD) continued to rank Malaysia as among the top 5 most competitive nations in the Asia-Pacific region, taking 6th position in the 20 million population category and 2nd position after Taiwan in the GDP per capita less than US$20,000 category.3 Moreover, the country is the 21th largest exporter among all trading nations worldwide. Strategically located in the heart of South-East Asia, Malaysia offers a cost-competitive location for investors intending to set up offshore operations in order to manufacture advanced technological products for both regional and international markets. In addition, Malaysia has a market-oriented economy which is supported by pro-business government policies. Last year, the Malaysian Government launched the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) which is managed by PEMANDU (Performance Management & Delivery Unit) under the patronage of the Prime Minister.4 The ETP identifies 12 National Key Economic Areas (NKEAs) which are drivers of economic activities that have the potential to materially contribute to the growth of Malaysia. Its objective also known as Vision 2020 is to transform Malaysia into a high income country by year 2020. The programme will lift Malaysias Gross National Income (GNI) to US$523 billion by 2020, and raise per capita income from US$6,700 to at least US$15,000, meeting the World Bank's threshold for high income nation.5 To achieve the targets set, Malaysia needs an annual growth of GNI of 6%. There are plans to revitalize Malaysia's private sector, to grow the service sector from 58 to 65% and to create 3.3 million new jobs.6 The Government will also introduce other transformation plans in 2012.7 In Malaysia, the 2011 GDP growth edged lower to 4.0 percent year-on-year due to a weaker domestic demand. Further implementation of ETP projects and a RM232.8 billion 2012 Budget

1 2 4 5 6 7

Malaysias economy attains 7th position, New Straits Times, 20th May 2011. Ibid. 3 Ibid.

See www.pemandu.gov.my . Forbes.com, 21st September 2011. Ibid. Malaysia Budget 2012 Main Highlights, www.financesentral.com accessed on 21st November 2011.
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tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will boost domestic demand, but unlikely to offset underperformance in net exports8.

Economical Key facts Malaysia

Currency: Exchange rates: GDP (billion RM): GDP - real growth rate: Inflation rate: Exports: Exports - commodities:

1 Ringgit (RM) = 100 Sen 1 EURO = RM4.3; 1 US$ = RM3.2 (17.11.2011) 2009: 679.94; 2010: 765.97; 2011: 829.34 2010: 7.2%; 2011: 4.0%, 2012: 5.0% (est.)10 3.3-3.5 % (est. 2012 IMF) RM513.59 billion (Jan- Sep 2011) Electronics 34.5%; petroleum & products 9.9%; of metal 3.0%; rubber products 2.6% palm oil

9.3%; chemical products 6.9%; machinery 3,4%; manufactures

Exports partners:

Singapore 13.3%, China 12.5%, Japan 10.5%, USA 9.5%, Thailand 5.3%, Hong Kong 5.1%, Germany: 2.7%

Imports: Imports - commodities:

RM424.37billion (Jan Sep 2011) Electronics 31.2%, petroleum & products 10.1%, chemical products 9.2%, machinery 8.0%, manufactures of metal 5.9%, transport equipment 5.1%, iron & steel products 4.3%, optical & scientific equipment 3.2%, processed food 2.2%, other products 20.8%

Imports - partners:

Japan 12.6%, China 12.6%, Singapore 11.4%, USA 10.6%, Thailand 6.2%, Germany 4.0%

Unemployment rate:

3.0% (2011)11

8 9

Malaysian Economic outlook by Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER), www.mier.org.my/outlook 21.11. Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), www.matrade.com.my . 10 Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER), www.mier.org/outlook/ accessed on18th November 2011.
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Average wage 2011:

Project manager IT: RM8,415, lecturer/speaker: RM3,459, mechanical engineer: RM3,070, account executive: RM2,572, plantation worker: RM85012

Population below poverty line:

3,6%13

Bilateral Trade: Malaysia & Germany

Malaysia is EUs second largest trading partner inside ASEAN, behind Singapore, with bilateral trade in goods reaching 31.9 billion Euros in 2010 and the EUs 22nd largest trading partner. Germany enjoys intensive trade relations with Malaysia and is one of the main foreign investors in Malaysia, while among members of the European Union, Germany is Malaysias leading trade partner.14 Besides, Malaysia ranks 2nd as a consumer of German products among the ASEAN countries.

The Construction Industry in General

The Malaysian construction industry is generally separated into two areas. One area is general construction, which comprises residential construction, non-residential construction and civil engineering construction. The second area is special trade works, which comprises activities of metal works, electrical works, plumbing, sewerage and sanitary works, refrigeration and airconditioning works, painting works, carpentry, tiling and flooring works and glass works.

Although the construction industry contributed only around 3% to the Gross Domestic Product in the year 201015, it makes up an important part of the Malaysian economy due to the interaction with other industry branches such as the metals processing industry and the mechanical engineering or the tourism sector. Hence, the construction industry could be described as a substantial economic driver for Malaysia. In 2011, the construction-related cluster expanded by

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12

Bank Negara Malaysia, Economic and Financial Data for Malaysia, last updated on 14th November 2011. www.payscale.com/research/MY/Conutry=Malaysia/Salary accessed on 21th November 2011. 13 Index Mundi, www.indexmundi.com/g?r.aspx?v=69 accessed on 18th November 2011. 14 http://ec.europa.eu/trade/creating-opportunities/bilateral-relations/countries/malaysia/ accessed on 21st November 2011.
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Department of Statistics, Malaysia

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14.7% (2010: 18.9%) and was a major contributor to the growth of the domestic-orientated industries.

In order to inject greater dynamism into the construction industry and enable it to be globally competitive, in 2007 the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) elaborated and submitted a strategic master plan. The CIDB represents a statutory board under the Ministry of Works. This board also prices individuals or organizations with the prestigious Malaysian Construction Industry Award (MCIEA) to recognize their contribution, performance and achievements in the industry. Another purpose of the participation to vie for this award is to provide a platform of healthy competition amongst industry players in the quest for excellence by showcasing best practice in project implementation.

One of the profound changes to have taken place over the last two decades in the construction industry in Malaysia is the emergence of foreign site operatives as an indispensable component of the labour force. Labour segmentation has prevailed as a consequence of variability in countryspecific traits. Schisms between the foreign nationals and local workers and between the various foreign nationals operate to the employers' advantage in which greater control can be exerted. As there seems to be no sign of the dependence on foreign workers attenuating, future waves of migrant workers can be expected. Taking this into consideration, the government has to be aware of proper employer treatment and related issues such as discrimination and violation and take respective actions. Value-added of the construction sector strengthened further by 6.3% during the first half of 2010 (January June 2009: 2.9%). The expansion was largely led by increased civil engineering and non-residential activities following the speedy implementation of construction projects under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP) and the stimulus packages. Driven by the residential and civil engineering sub-sectors, the construction sector expanded by 3.5% in 2011 (2010: 5.1%).

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The Civil Engineering Activity

In the past years the civil engineering sub-sector registered an increase due to higher activity in the oil and gas sector as well as the implementation of some projects of the Ninth Malaysian Plan (9MP) and growth corridors development. The 9MP represents the second phase of the 10-year Third Outline Perspective Plan (OOP3) and determines whether the economic tools are strong enough to steer the country towards realizing the objectives of Vision 2020 with the aim to achieve the status of a self-sufficient industrialized nation by the year 2020. It identifies key economic sectors and focuses on stepping up productivity, sustainable growth and the creation of a united and just society. The table below contrasts local and foreign contractors and compares the number of government projects with private projects respectively. Despite the financial turmoil, the number of overall projects in 2008 reached a reasonable level. A decline can be detected for the years of 2009 and 2010. It also reveals that the number of private projects generally exceeds the number of government projects, regardless the status of contractor. Especially for foreign contractors the private sector plays an eminent role, as most government projects are contracted out to local contractors. In August 2008, the Government announced several provisions to allow variation in the contract value of government projects. This is to assist contractors to cope with escalating prices of construction materials. For the civil engineering works, the price variation is extended from 5 to 11 types of building materials. Contractors involved in design and build projects will be paid according to price variation of building materials. Table (1): Number and Value of Projects Awarded by Status of Contractors as of March 2011 Local Contractors Government Projects Foreign Contractors Government Projects

Project Category

Total Number of

Total Project Value

Private Projects

Private Projects

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Projects

(RM mil)

No.

Value (RM mil)

No.

Value (RM mil)

No.

Value (RM mil) 3,475.32 4,851.83 1,131.99 316.22

No.

Value (RM mil) 2,450.92 2,867.99 1,866.54 8,546.39

2007 2008 2009 2010 March 2011

7,386 6,522 6,898 6,344

94,416.83 2,954 44,859.22 4,338 43,631.38 85,837.07 2,702 33,964.26 3,745 44,152.99 74,057.91 2,991 32,344.93 3,856 38,532.45 75,610.29 1,748 18,236 4,498 48,807.95

4 5 1 1

90 70 50 97

589

6,531.94

149

1,650

431

4,551

0.00

330

Notes: Total may not necessarily add up due to rounding. Figures are subject to change due to late notification. Source: CIDB, Construction Industry development Board Malaysia

In the following, a further look into the type, number and value of projects will be given. Facing the figures of the individual categories, one will detect, that projects related to infrastructure and non-residents are very high in number and value, followed by projects targeting residents and social amenities. Construction activity in the non-residential sub-sector is estimated to increase marginally, supported by ongoing construction of commercial properties, industrial units and hotels. Growth in the residential segment improved amid higher construction activity, especially in the Klang Valley. Higher investment following the continued progress in the construction of major infrastructure projects such as the Seremnam-Gemas electrified double-tracking project, the second Penang Bridge and the Sabah Oil and Gas Terminal boosted the civil engineering subsector. In addition, the performance of the sub-sector in the first half of 2010 was affected by the delay in launching new projects during the economic downturn in 2009 when developers were
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more cautious. However, following the economic recovery, coupled with attractive, financing packages and affordable interest rates, housing starts recorded an increase of 3.2% in the second quarter of 2010 compared with the preceding quarter. In addition, the take-up rate of newly launched residential units improved to 19.5% (January-June 2009: 12.3%). Despite slower housing construction activity, high-end landed properties located in preferred areas were well-received with 100% take- up rate during launches. The liberalization of the Foreign Investment Committee ruling on foreign purchases of properties and the promotion of Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) also led to the expansion of the sub-sector. To conclude, the measure to provide tax relief on interest paid for housing loans will provide some support to demand for houses. Table (2): Number and Value of Projects Awarded by Category as of March 2011

Project Category 2007 Residential Non Residential Mix Development Social Amenities Infrastructure Others 2008 Residential Non Residential Mix Development Social Amenities Infrastructure Others 2009 Residential Non Residential Mix Development Social Amenities

Total Number of Projects 7,358 1,853 2,291 10 1,380 1,787 37 6,522 1,486 2,143 16 1,258 1,579 40 6,718 1,657 2,045 0 1,489

Total Project Value (RM mil) 93,294.20 16,878.46 26,422.62 97.1 12,097.57 37,611.14 187.31 85,837.07 16,933.87 23,737.75 919.22 19,114.39 24,858.70 273.13 74,057.87 14,138.24 22,543.22 0 15,358.96
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Infrastructure Others 2010 Residential Non Residential Social Amenities Infrastructure 2011 Residential Non Residential Social Amenities Infrastructure

1,707 40 6,344 1,784 213 97 1,593 589 163 213 97 116

22,017.45 0 75,610.27 20,699.97 24,434.11 7,560.78 22,915.41 6,531.95 1,463.79 1,908.07 890.64 2,269.45

Notes: Total may not necessarily add up due to rounding. Figures are subject to change due to late notification. Source: CIDB, Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia

However, due to the escalating prices of construction materials and increased inflationary pressures, developers were generally adopting a more cautious stance. With the strong domestic economic performance coupled with the buoyant secondary housing market, potential house buyers, particularly in the Klang Valley, Penang and Selangor are shifting from a wait-and see attitude in 2009 to ready-to-commit in the second-half of 2010. Therefore, on the supply side, the housing sector picked up strongly by 37.6% in the first half of 2011, with an increased number of housing projects. Houses priced above RM500,000 dominated construction activities and housing developers were inclined to build high-end properties, particularly in city areas due to rising land prices. In line with the Governments objective to provide affordable houses for the low-and-medium-income groups, a total of 2,733 units of Rumah Mesra Rakyat under the Home Ownership for the People (HOPE) project were completed as at the end-June 2010. In addition, as at the end-August 2010, 4,482 low-cost houses for the rural poor and hardcore poor were built, while another 12,144 units are under construction. On the supply side, the number of new sales and advertising permits as well as approvals to build houses increased 16,1% and 32,2% (January-August 2010: 16%; 23.6%%) respectively, indicating developers were more bullish on the housing market. This was further supported by the findings of a survey undertaken by the Real Estate and Housing Developers Association (REDHA) in July

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2010, whereby developers are confident that property prices may increase up to 20% in the second half of 2010. Similarly, loans approved by the banking system for the construction sector rose 25.7% (January- July 2009: 53.6%), indicating the pick-up in construction activity during the second half of the year. Growth in the non-residential sub-sector continued to be underpinned by the ongoing construction of commercial properties. In addition, private projects in the five growth corridors, including Johor Premium Outlet and Lido Boulevard in Iskandar Malaysia as well as Kota Kinabalu City Waterfront and South China Place in Sabah Development Corridor contributed to the subsector. Especially higher private sector activities in the oil and gas industry, such as the liquefied natural gas re-gasification terminal in Malacca and the development of the Sabah oil and gas terminal compensated the moderation in public civil engineering projects. The demand for office space especially in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Selangor and Johor was buoyant and the national occupancy rate of office space remained high at 83.2%. After the completion of 20 new shopping complexes with an additional retail space of 249,817 square metres (sm) in 2010, the existing stock of retail space increased again from 10.37 million sm in 2010 to 10.78 million sm in 2011. Demand for retail space in shopping complexes remained strong, with an average occupancy rate at 81% in 2011, reflecting retailers confidence in consumer spending.16 Construction of leisure properties improved further in line with the growth of the tourism sector. As at the end-June 2011, 103 hotels were under construction, offering 52,000 rooms (end-June 2010: 86 hotels; 21,884 rooms). Hotels in Kuala Lumpur City Centre are expecting to finish the year at an average occupancy rate of 68% (2011: 65%). Hotels expected to open this year include the 513-romm Pullman Bangsar, th 364-room Best Western Premier Dua Sentral, the 500-room Ibis Styled Fraser Business Park Kuala Lumpur, the 412-room Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur and the 188room extension of Impiana KLCC Hotel.17

16 17

The Star (2011): Lower growth for construction Busines Times (2011): MAH: Hotels can expect igher occupancy rate
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In addition, some domestic construction companies were also augmented by overseas projects, especially in the Middle East, India and Thailand. The projects include construction of highways, airport terminals and hydropower plants. The turnaround in the construction sector and the increase of construction companies led to a re-rating of construction companies listed on the Bursa Malaysia. Table (3): Number and Value of Projects Undertaken by Malaysian Contractors in Global Market by Year of Project Awarded
2006 Country ASEAN Brunei Indonesia Philippines Singapore Thailand Vietnam India Middle East Iran Jordan Bahrain Libya Qatar Saudi Arabia Syria United Arab Emirates/Dubai Africa Sudan South Africa Algeria Papua New Guinea Morocco Others Bangladesh Cambodia China Maldives Mongolia Pakistan Sri Lanka Trinidad+Tobago Turkmenistan Yemen United Kingdom Australia Ireland Hong Kong Seychelles Grand Total No. 13 1 2 10 10 23 1 6 2 6 ` 7 2 1 1 10 1 3 2 1 2 1 558 Value (RM m) 2,179.74 524.40 522.06 1,133.28 1,149.92 4,622.39 450.00 1,368.33 63.13 161.52 90.00 2489.41 839.00 39.00 800.00 1,398.83 1.45 623.92 171.91 1.58 18.97 581.00 10,189.88 2007 No. 20 2 3 2 12 1 7 25 1 2 4 2 2 14 0 17 5 4 1 2 1 1 2 1 69 Value (RM m) 2,582.92 33.58 1,862.69 60.00 547.84 78.81 4,653.00 11,308.63 233.88 5,130.62 1,751.67 314.82 482.84 3,394.80 0.00 1,006,76 382.93 111.16 185.06 136.47 51.95 2.05 16.74 120.40 19,551.31 2008 No. 7 2 3 2 1 24 2 1 3 2 16 3 1 2 20 2 3 9 2 1 1 1 1 55 Value (RM m) 1,473.94 20.20 139.52 1,314.22 899.50 5,609.65 268.42 84.00 581.20 1,822.24 2,853.79 924.67 854.00 70.76 559.61 52.22 36.74 308.27 72.98 4.50 77.93 1.30 5.67 9,467.37 2009 No. 2 1 1 2 18 1 2 5 10 0 4 2 1 1 26 Value (RM m) 887.44 693.00 194.44 383.65 12,593.31 2,000.00 281.72 9,407.84 903.75 146.17 84.01 14.47 47.69 3,666.77 2010 No. 5 1 2 2 4 0 0 2 2 11 Value (RM m) 1,030.31 932.10 90.24 7.97 404.00 0 0.00 56.72 56.72 1,491.03 2011 No. 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 Value (RM mil) 58.50 58.50 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 58.50

Note: Total may not necessarily add up due to rounding. Figures are subject to change due to late notification. Source: CIDB, Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia
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Market Watch 2012, Construction Industry

Green Building
The Malaysian building construction market is very competitive with local companies taking the lead. However, with the recent onset of green technology in Malaysia, more and more foreign participants are involved in the construction sector especially in the development of green buildings particularly in technologies relating to green building, prefabrication practice, smart building and energy efficient building. The launch of Green Building Index has put Malaysia on the green roadmap and further development is expected to take place in the coming years.

Outlook
The construction sector was expected to expand by 3.4% at the end of 2011 (2010: 5.1%), due partly to support from the acceleration of projects under the 10th Malaysia Plan in the second half of the year. The success of the construction industry is increasingly predicated on technology driven investments in information technology (IT) and this is expected to be even more so in the future. Information Technology (IT) plays a vital role in the sustained growth of a business and is the sine qua non of all businesses today, including the construction industry. Hence, understanding its roles and functions in construction firms is a requisite in assessing their performance. The governments are now on the verge of implementing the 10th Malaysia Plan that will set the stage for a major national structural transformation, towards that of a High-Income Economy. The High-Income Economy will hinge on higher productivity and the engagement of the private sector participation, which will be the primary driver of growth and innovation. The Plan which covers the period from 2011 to 2015 will potentially have high impact on the Malaysian Construction Sector where it is expected the Construction Sector will grow at 3.7% per annum as compared to 6% per annum GDP growth for the country. RM230 billion development allocations and RM20 billion facilitation funds have been allowed for under 10thMP. Both these allocations will create the impetus in driving demand for the Construction Sector as out of the RM230 billion for development expenditure, 60% or RM138 billion will be expended in physical development to be undertaken by the Construction Sector.

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The RM20 billion facilitation fund is expected to attract private sector investments worth at least RM200 billion of which a major portion would be investments involving the Construction Sector. In promoting economic growth through Private Sector participation, 52 high-impact projects worth RM63 billion have been identified for implementation under the Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) initiatives. Among these projects are 7 Tolled Highways at an estimated value of RM19 billion, 2 Coal Electricity Generation Plants at RM7 billion, Malaysian Rubber Boards Land Development at RM10 billion, Petronas LNG Melaka Plant at RM3 billion and, 2 Aluminium Smelters in SCORE Sarawak at RM18 billion.

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Important Malaysian Construction Fairs 2012

ARCHIDEX 2012 12 Malaysia Architecture, Interior Design & Building Exhibition Date: 4 July 3 July 2011 Venue: Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC)
th

HOMEDEC 2012 Home Decoration Exhibition Date: 28 April 1 May 2012 Venue: Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) Date: 13 15 Jul 2011 Venue: Persada Johor International Convention Centre, Johor Bahru

BUILDTECH 2012 Malaysia International Building Materials & Construction Technology Exhibition Date: 26-29 Sept 2012 Venue: PWTC, Kuala Lumpur

Contact: Mr. Thomas Brandt: thomas.brandt@malaysia.ahk.de Ms. Chuah Sue Wei: suewei.chuah@malaysia.ahk.de

We hope the market report serves you with actual information on the Malaysian market. Our core business is to establish contacts, finding distribution partners, project acquisitions, etc. Our Office-in-Office Concept and our Firmenpool Malaysia will give you a permanent address to develop the market. Please contact us for further information.

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