In 2022, the water supply, sewerage, waste management, and remediation activities sectors recorded a gross output value of RM18.9 billion, marking a 6.3 per cent annual increase since 2015, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
The Economic Census 2023 highlighted that water collection, treatment, and supply activities contributed the highest gross output, amounting to RM9.8 billion, which represents 51.7 per cent of the total. This was followed by waste collection, which generated RM5.0 billion, and waste treatment and disposal activities, which contributed RM1.8 billion.
The report noted that the sector also saw a growth in intermediate input value, reaching RM9.0 billion in 2022, up from RM6.4 billion in 2015, reflecting an annual growth rate of 4.9 per cent. The number of establishments within the sector increased from 790 in 2015 to 1,008 in 2022, an annual growth rate of 3.5 per cent.
Waste collection activities led in the number of establishments with 695, or 68.9 per cent, followed by material recovery activities with 128 establishments and sewerage activities with 77 establishments.
Employment in the sector rose to 59,535 persons in 2022 from 49,162 in 2015, representing an annual growth rate of 2.8 per cent. The largest number of persons engaged was in water collection, treatment, and supply activities, with 23,327 individuals, making up 39.2 per cent of the total workforce.
Waste collection activities employed 21,944 persons, while sewerage activities had 5,582 persons. Together, these three activities accounted for 85.5 per cent of the total employment in the sector.
