Asia Economy

A recent wave of investment in manufacturing in Indonesia could herald the country’s rise as an international industrial player. A rapidly growing domestic market of more than 230m people, as well as the potential for exports both regional and across the globe, are major draws for companies from around the world.

The Malaysian government is continuing its campaign to reform the nation’s economy, broadening its base and liberalising many previously restricted sectors. However, its most recent moves to rein in subsidies, which are designed to reduce the strain on the budget, may prove unpopular and could stoke inflationary fires in the short term.

Indonesia’s newly published economic master plan sets out ambitious targets to become one of the world’s biggest economies over the next 15 years. The plan unveiled by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) also put the spotlight on the need for heavy investments in infrastructure coupled with improvement in the investment climate.

Following a strong year in 2010, Malaysia’s manufacturing sector looks set for a repeat performance in 2011 in its effort to draw in foreign investment. The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) is setting a target of bringing in RM55bn ($18.22bn) in new investment for the year.

The government of Thailand is struggling to maintain a balance between its efforts to lower the budget deficit and its policy of mitigating the impact of rising prices, with fiscal prudence coming into conflict with social responsibility and political expediency.

The need to relax rigid labour restrictions that enforce high severance pay and make it hard to fire staff is becoming a priority for Indonesia. With outdated employment laws affecting investor confidence and benefitting neither employers nor staff, the country is accelerating moves to update employment regulations.