PUTRAJAYA, May 31 — The median monthly wages for the formal sector increased 4.9 per cent year-on-year to RM2,900 in December 2023, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) reported in its Quarterly Employee Wages Statistics (Formal Sector) Report, Fourth Quarter 2023’s Summary, which was released today.
Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the number of Malaysian formal employees was 6.67 million persons in December 2023, an increase of 1.8 per cent as compared to the same month in the previous year.
“In terms of formal employees by sex, male formal employees accounted for 55.5 per cent of the total formal employees or equivalent to 3.70 million persons in December 2023.
“The median monthly wages for male formal employees stood at RM2,945 while female formal employees, which comprised 44.5 per cent (2.97 million persons) of total formal employees, received RM2,845,” he said in a statement today.
The detailed wage statistics by age group indicate the group that received the highest median monthly wages was the age group of 45 to 49 years, which is RM3,927 in December 2023.
This age group also received the highest median monthly wages in October 2023 (RM3,500) and November 2023 (RM3,500).
Meanwhile, the median monthly wages of Malaysian formal employees under 20 years old was RM1,500 in December 2023, which remained unchanged for 19 consecutive months.
Further disaggregating the wages situation by economic activity, Uzir said that in the fourth quarter of 2023, all sectors recorded a year-on-year increase in median monthly wages, with the mining and quarrying sector receiving the highest median monthly wages of RM6,844 in December 2023, despite only representing 0.6 per cent of total formal employees.
The median monthly wages in all states witnessed positive year-on-year growth in the last three months of 2023.
“Three states posted higher median monthly wages compared to the national median monthly wages of RM2,900, with Kuala Lumpur posting the highest median monthly wages of RM4,045, followed by Penang at RM3,245 and Selangor at RM3,164.
“Meanwhile, Kelantan, Perlis and Sabah registered the lowest median monthly wages in December 2023, with RM1,600, RM1,700 and RM1,882 respectively,” he said.
— Bernama
