KUALA LUMPUR: The minimum wage policy will be expanded to cover graduates and semi-skilled workers, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister said this will include Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) graduates classified under Masco code 8 and above.
“This effort is aimed at ensuring fair wages that reflect the qualifications and skills of our workers,” he said when tabling the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) in the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday (July 31).
Anwar said that under the 13MP period, Malaysia aims to create 700,000 new jobs in the manufacturing sector and another 500,000 career opportunities in the digital economy.
He also announced that the role of the National Wage Consultative Council will be strengthened, while the e-Masco portal will be enhanced as a more transparent and responsive mechanism for wage monitoring.
“At the same time, the government is encouraging major companies to provide decent living wages, as already practised by government-linked investment companies (GLICs) and government-linked companies (GLCs),” he said.
According to Anwar, the Madani administration has successfully raised the minimum wage twice, from RM1,200 to RM1,500, and subsequently to RM1,700, through minimum wage orders, the Progressive Wage Policy and public service salary reforms (SSPA).
For GLC and GLIC employees, he said the living wage benchmark has been set at RM3,100 per month.
TVET graduates, he said, are also earning increasingly competitive salaries, with most surpassing the RM1,700 minimum wage threshold.
“A total of 95.6% of TVET graduates have secured employment within six months of completing their training,” he said.
To further enhance the labour market, Anwar said the government will expedite efforts to streamline wage structures to ensure workers receive a fairer share of the nation’s economic growth.
