PETALING JAYA: Amir’s wages as a storekeeper over the past 10 years have only grown by about RM500.
“I started off with RM1,500 and now earn RM2,000. If we calculate the increment, it is about RM50 a year.
“At one point, I was solely living off this salary, and it wasn’t enough,” said the father of one from Kuala Lumpur.
Engineer M. Kumaresan has experienced a similar situation, as his salary has only increased by RM1,500 over the course of 12 years.
“I started with RM3,000. Taking into account inflation and so on, the increase is actually not much,” he said.
“I am currently waiting things out. If, after 15 years, there is not much improvement, I may consider relocating (to Singapore),” he said.
While Kumaresan is pondering his future, a medical practitioner who wanted to be known as Dr Lee has already crossed the Causeway.
She said relocating to Singapore enabled her to purchase a house in Malaysia and provide better support for her family.
“I moved because I know that the difference in currency makes a huge difference.
“If I were to wait for a pay rise here, it would be a lot slower,” she added.
