Malaysian manufacturing sales, a key driver of the economy, rose 2.6 percent in October compared with a year earlier, according to official data released 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 percent to a total of RM45.9 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 percent from the previous month to 1.065 million, it said.

For the first 10 months of the year, the manufacturing sector grew 13.5 percent to RM488.3 billion.

-AFP