RM1,500 minimum wage expected by year-end

KUALA LUMPUR: The government is expected to implement a minimum monthly wage of RM1,500 before the end of this year.

Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan said the new rate had yet to be finalised as the ministry was awaiting Cabinet approval to increase the minimum wage.

“I cannot state the exact minimum wage rate proposed by the Human Resources Ministry but it is around RM1,500 and below,” he said.

Saravanan added the new minimum wage needed to be resolved as soon as possible and the ministry was pushing for it to be implemented by the end of the year, but it still depended on the decision of the Cabinet.

The figure would be announced after Cabinet approval.

“I feel that the existing minimum wage should be raised even though some private employees are paid more than that but in the government it remains low,” he said.

The minimum wage was last increased in February 2020, from RM1,100 to RM1,200 per month.

Saravanan added that although the government had not raised the minimum wage for several years, some employers, especially the private sector, had taken the initiative to provide higher rates.

“In fact, some give not only the minimum wage but also other benefits such as accommodation and better welfare,” he said.

Saravanan also said that the Ministry of Human Resources had received 7,500 applications for recruitment of foreign workers in the oil palm plantation sector through special exemption from Jan 28 to Feb 4.

He said some of the applications could not be considered as the requests were from employers who were not eligible to apply for foreign workers as they were cooperative and outsourcing companies.

“I wish to remind all employers that all application forms must be filled in by the employer themselves and they should not engage the services of any private employment agency.

“The private employment agencies only act as facilitators and cannot apply for the recruitment of foreign workers on behalf of the employers,” he said.