27th October 2025 - 2 min read
Median monthly wages for employees in Malaysia’s formal sector rose by 4.3% year-on-year in June 2025, according to data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM). The findings were part of the Employee Wages Statistics (Formal Sector) Second Quarter 2025 report, which tracks wage trends across April, May, and June.
The report found that formal sector employees earned a median monthly wage of RM2,864 in June 2025. Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said Malaysia’s job market remained stable in the second quarter, supported by steady employment growth.
The number of formal employees grew by 3.5% to reach 6.97 million in June. Wages also increased throughout the quarter, with growth of 3.6% in April, 5.4% in May, and 4.3% in June.
Men made up 55.1% of formal employees, or 3.84 million people, while women accounted for 44.9%, or 3.13 million. Median monthly wages for men were RM2,900, slightly higher than women’s median wages of RM2,800.
All age groups recorded higher wages than a year earlier. Employees below 20 years old saw the fastest growth, with a 13.3% increase to RM1,700. Those aged 45 to 49 earned the highest median wage at RM3,800 in June 2025.
Across industries, all sectors recorded higher wages during the second quarter. The mining and quarrying sector reported the strongest increase at 10.2%, with a median wage of RM6,500. The agriculture sector had the lowest median wage at RM2,200 but still recorded a 10% rise.
All states also saw wage growth. Kuala Lumpur recorded the highest median wage at RM4,064, followed by Selangor at RM3,145 and Penang at RM2,927. The lowest median wages were in Kelantan (RM1,764), Perlis (RM1,800), and both Sabah and Kedah (RM2,000).
The report showed that wage inequality remains wide. About one in ten formal employees earned below RM1,700 per month. The lowest 10% of workers earned RM1,664 or less, while the top 10% earned RM9,200 or more, about five times higher.
Mohd Uzir said DOSM will continue improving wage data collection by combining information from various government agencies to provide a clearer picture of Malaysia’s labour market.
More detailed wage statistics are available on the My Labour Hub portal.
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Samuel writes about personal finance and financial news, focusing on how banking updates, policies, and promotions affect everyday money decisions. He enjoys making complicated financial topics easier to follow. Outside of writing, he spends his time watching TV shows and occasionally convincing himself he will only watch one episode.
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