Right time to raise wages

FIRST came the suggestion that Employees Provident Fund (EPF) members with savings above certain thresholds should get progressively lower dividends, depending on the amount they have in their retirement accounts, the tiered dividend argument.

Then, recently at the International Social Wellbeing Conference 2026 (ISWC 2026) organised by the EPF, another idea was floated, that employers should raise their contribution to employees to 15% or 16% for those earning below RM5,000, while those earning above RM10,000 should have their employer contribution cut to 4%. It’s like getting penalised for being productive.