Johor seeks to raise AI job salaries to RM7,000

JOHOR BARU: The Johor state government is discussing increasing the starting salary for jobs in artificial intelligence (AI) and data centres to at least RM7,000.

Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi mentioned that many investors choose to invest in Johor due to the low cost of utilities, land, and labour, which are 70% cheaper than in neighbouring countries.

"If everything is cheap, why can't these companies offer higher pay to our youth?

"For example, the starting salary for AI and data centre jobs in Singapore is about SGD4,000, which is roughly RM14,000.

"We are currently discussing with various sectors to ensure they pay at least 50% of what they pay in Singapore. If they can pay RM14,000 there, they should at least pay RM7,000 here," he said.

He said this during a speech at the MyFutureJobs Mega Job Fair launch at the Arena Larkin Indoor Stadium on Sunday (July 28).

Onn Hafiz added that, according to a report by the Social Security Organisation (Perkeso), there were currently about 20,000 job vacancies in the state that had not been filled.

"We need to find ways to attract Malaysians, especially Johoreans, to work here. The main attraction is high salaries," he said, noting that around 300,000 Malaysians cross the border to work in Singapore every day.

He also mentioned that to address the issue of skilled manpower, the state government, with Federal Government approval, has established the Johor Talent Development Council.

"The council will focus on streamlining key sectors and helping our youth secure good jobs," he added.