Firms with overseas jobs more resilient

IJM Corp’s Al Reem Island Development project in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates

PETALING JAYA: Construction firms that rely mostly on government jobs would be the most vulnerable to political changes but some companies will be better positioned to weather the uncertainties.

OSK Research analyst Jeremy Goh said earnings of companies such as Hock Seng Lee Bhd, whose projects are mainly in Sarawak, should remain resilient.

“We also remain positive on companies like IJM Corp Bhd and Zelan Bhd, whose operations are focused mainly in the oil-rich Middle East.” he said.

When contacted by StarBiz, Zelan chief executive officer Albert Chang said: “Almost all of our projects are foreign-based. In fact, we have not had any direct government projects for the past 20 years.

“The current uncertainty in the local scene does not have any bearing on us as we’re mainly focused on the Middle East.” he said.

IJM Corp is another construction player that has the bulk of its order book from overseas.

Chief executive officer and managing director Datuk Krishnan Tan told Reuters yesterday that the company had an order book of RM6bil, of which 40% was from overseas.

Tan said notwithstanding some erosion in margin, he saw a steady flow of work from India and the Middle East.

TSR Capital Bhd, whose core business is in construction, remains quite unfazed by the looming uncertainties as most of its projects are in the Federal Territory.

Managing director Tengku Datuk Mustapha Tengku Mohamed said: “We are still confident of prospects as most of our projects are Federal projects.”

The construction sector is poised to be a key driver of the country’s economic growth as projects worth billions of ringgit are being planned for implementation under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

However, the impending change in administration in Penang, Perak, Kedah and Selangor, which have come under opposition control, has given rise to uncertainties in the award of public contracts.

There are also concerns whether the implementation of projects that have already been awarded would be delayed as the newly-elected state governments have said projects would be reviewed.

By The Star (by Yvonne Tan)