THE minimum wage is not determined by the Poverty Line Income (PLI), the House was told.
Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Mohamad said the minimum wage was the basic salary to ensure that workers and their families could meet basic needs.
“As for the PLI, it refers to the absolute poverty of households,” he said, adding that the PLI rate as of 2022 was at RM2,589 per month.
He however pointed out that PLI was among the main indicators for determining the minimum wage, he said in reply to Hassan Abdul Karim (PH-Pasir Gudang).
He said the minimum wage increased on an average of 5% to 6% per year, with this dependent on the economic indicators used in the minimum wage setting formula.
Abdul Rahman said the minimum wage was reviewed once every two years, with representatives from the Finance and Economy ministries, Sabah and Sarawak representatives, the Malaysian Employers Federation and trade unions involved.
