Back by sustained global AI demand, manufacturing firms in Singapore optimistic about next six months: EDB survey
Manufacturing firms in Singapore remain optimistic about the next six months despite geopolitical developments continuing to cloud the global economic outlook.This was revealed in an Economic Development Board (EDB) survey on Monday (Nov 2) involving 397 manufacturing firms, conducted between September and October.They were asked to indicate their expectation of general business conditions and other indicators such as output and employment for the period between October this year and March 2027.According to the Business Expectations of Manufacturing Sector survey, a weighted 29 per cent of manufacturers expected business conditions to improve from the third quarter, while 5 per cent foresee weaker conditions.Among them, precision engineering companies, led by semiconductor-related equipment firms, are the most upbeat, expecting global artificial intelligence (AI)-related investment to continue expanding. This was followed by firms in the electronics cluster, driven by robust orders secured for semiconductors used in AI applications.