The problem, however, would not be serious enough to affect the country's gross domestic product (GDP), said RAM Holdings Group chief economist Dr Yeah Kim Leng.
He said tourism, leisure and restaurant businesses stood to lose the most at this point.
"Malaysians only need to worry if the haze grows to hazardous levels over the next few weeks or months," he said.
Dr Yeah said the losses in the current haze situation could be in the millions of ringgit but "not hundreds of millions".
Ambank Group chief economist Anthony Dass said that although work productivity and consumer spending would take a hit due to the haze, the economic impact was "minimal and negligible".
He added that the haze situation could be considered tolerable now as many people could still be seen going about their daily activities.
"However, if the haze worsens and the Government takes drastic precautionary measures like asking people not to go outdoors, we may see a more serious impact to our daily life," he added.
Source: Haze: Impact on Malaysia economy minimal, say experts
I really think these people are a totally different species of humans. To them, everything is about money, economy and profits. Granting that they are economists giving their views, they should at least be a little less condescending.
I doubt the economy is the first thing on the people's mind when they are now choking on the haze! Not everything in life is about money.
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