KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 — Malaysia’s exports suffered an unanticipated decline in January, suggesting that the recovery of the local economy as predicted by analysts may not be as smooth as projected.

Official government data showed exports fell for the first in eight months in January, registering a 2.8 per cent year-on-year drop when it had been expected to grow by 2.5 per cent by analysts.

Chronically low oil prices and the slowing China economy were cited as possible factors in the unexpected decline in Malaysia’s shipments abroad.

The fall also comes after the Malaysian economy grew faster than predicted in the previous quarter, with financial analysts interpreting the expansion as an indication that the headwinds facing the country were subsiding.

Malaysia was hit both by a commodities crash in the previous, crucially depressing oil prices for the petroleum-dependent nation, as well as local scandals surrounding the administration.

But recent results from Putrajaya and government-linked corporations suggest that the worst may not be over.

On Tuesday, state oil firm Petronas announced unprecedented layoffs and budget cuts for the next six months, citing the continued low oil prices that has hit its profitability.

Petronas accounts for nearly a third of Putrajaya’s revenue.

Also on Tuesday, the Nikkei Malaysia Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) showed that Malaysia’s manufacturing sector fell at the fastest rate since November due to shrinking new orders.

The report added orders have now fallen for twelve consecutive months up to February.