Salaries And Wages In Malaysia Increased In 2024

Iman Aminuddin

1st October 2025 - 3 min read

Malaysia’s latest Salaries and Wages Survey Report [PDF] shows that more workers received regular pay in 2024, with both median and average salaries rising compared with the previous year. The data highlights positive progress, while also underlining ongoing gaps in gender, state, and job categories.

Salaries And Employment Expanded In 2024

The number of salaried employees increased by 1.3% to 10.24 million people in 2024, compared with 10.11 million in 2023.

DOSM states that median monthly salaries rose by 7.3% to RM2,793, up from RM2,602 in 2023. Mean monthly salaries grew by 6.1% to RM3,652, compared with RM3,441 a year earlier. Together, these figures show that more Malaysians earned regular pay in 2024, and that earnings rose across both typical and average levels.

Gender Pay Gap Remains

Both male and female employees recorded higher salaries in 2024 compared with 2023. Male workers earned a median salary of RM2,850, up from RM2,675 the year before. Female workers earned RM2,641, compared with RM2,464 in 2023.

Despite women recording slightly faster growth, men continued to earn RM209 more at the median level, a ratio of 1 to 0.93. At the mean level, male employees earned RM3,759 in 2024, compared with RM3,532 in 2023, while female employees earned RM3,499, up from RM3,311.

Salary Levels Differ By State

Geographic differences in salaries remained clear in DOSM’s report. W.P. Putrajaya recorded the highest median salary in 2024 at RM4,598, followed by W.P. Kuala Lumpur (RM3,687), Selangor (RM3,350), Pulau Pinang (RM2,934), and W.P. Labuan (RM2,931). Each figure was above the national median of RM2,793, which itself was higher than RM2,602 in 2023.

In terms of averages, W.P. Putrajaya also led with RM5,091, followed by W.P. Kuala Lumpur (RM4,782), Selangor (RM4,052), W.P. Labuan (RM3,812), and Pulau Pinang (RM3,787). These all exceeded the national mean of RM3,652 in 2024, compared with RM3,441 in 2023.

Salaries Across Different Occupations

Occupational differences also stood out in 2024. Managers recorded the highest median salary at RM5,990, compared with RM5,825 in 2023. Professionals followed with RM5,821, up from RM5,741, while Technicians and Associate Professionals earned RM3,541, compared with RM3,472 a year earlier. Each of these was well above the national median of RM2,793.

For average pay, Managers earned RM7,121, Professionals earned RM6,524, and Technicians and Associate Professionals earned RM4,077. All figures were above the national mean of RM3,652, highlighting the stratification of pay by occupation.

What The Numbers Indicate

The 2024 findings confirm that more Malaysians are earning regular pay, and that both median and mean salaries have increased compared with 2023. However, the data also underscores long-standing inequality. The gender pay gap remains, higher-paying states continue to outpace others, and occupational differences show that certain groups earn significantly more than the national benchmark.

DOSM’s findings provide important context as Malaysia prepares for the next round of minimum wage adjustments in 2025, which are expected to further raise incomes in line with living costs.

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