Almost 30% of Malaysians employed in the formal sector earned less than RM2,000 a month as of December 2024, according to the latest data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia.

Notably, the bottom 10% of formal sector workers earned RM1,500 or less per month, while those in the top 10% earned RM10,800 or more. This reflects a 5.9% increase from December 2023. Employees in the 90th percentile earned seven times more than those in the lowest wage group, according to the report.

The figures, published in the Employee Wages Statistics (Formal Sector) Report, Fourth Quarter 2024, also showed that 29.2% of formal sector employees earned below RM2,000 in December. This marks a reduction of two percentage points compared to the same month the previous year.

The national median monthly wage increased to RM3,045 in December 2024, rising from RM2,764 recorded in both October and November. On an annual basis, the median wage grew by 6.0% compared to 2023.

Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the increase was consistent with improvements in Malaysia’s labour market and broader economic performance in the fourth quarter of 2024. The number of citizens employed in the formal sector rose by 2.3% year-on-year to 6.83 million persons in December, an increase of 156,600 workers.

In terms of gender, male employees accounted for 55.2% of the workforce, with a median wage of RM3,045. Female employees made up 44.8%, earning a median wage of RM3,000. Compared to December 2023, male wages rose by 3.4%, while female wages recorded a higher growth of 5.4%.

All age groups experienced year-on-year wage increases. Workers aged 65 and above recorded the highest growth of 8.3%, with a median wage of RM2,982. This group also saw an increase in participation in the formal sector. Employees aged below 20 saw a 1.8% rise in wages, with the median increasing from RM1,500 to RM1,527. The highest median wage was recorded by those aged 45 to 49, at RM4,082.

All major economic sectors saw wage growth in the fourth quarter. The mining and quarrying sector reported the highest year-on-year increase of 9.6%, reaching a median wage of RM7,500. The agriculture sector, representing 1.9% of formal employees, had the lowest median wage at RM2,382, though it still recorded a 3.6% increase.

Across the states, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur registered the highest median wage at RM4,200, followed by Penang at RM3,382 and Selangor at RM3,300. The lowest median wages were recorded in Sabah at RM2,000, Perlis at RM1,764, and Kelantan at RM1,664.

Uzir stated that the statistics are based on administrative data focused on private-sector formal employment. He added that the department will continue enhancing the integration of data sources to produce more comprehensive labour market statistics.

(Source: DOSM) 

• TAGS:
• Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin
• Department of Statistics Malaysia
• DOSM
• Employment
• Wages
• Workforce