Putrajaya sees the highest salaries & wages in Malaysia: DOSM

The city recorded a median monthly value of RM3,837 in 2021; with Kuala Lumpur (RM3,054) and Selangor (RM2,884) rounding up the top three.

In 2021, the number of recipients of salaries & wages was 3.4% higher than the previous year, recording 9.7mn persons (2020: 9.4mn). In this period, the median monthly salaries & wages also increased by 9.1%, to record RM2,250, up from RM2,062 in the previous year.

This is according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia's latest Salaries & Wages Survey Report, Malaysia, 2021.

By mean data, the mean monthly salaries & wages saw a 3.5% rebound in 2021, registering RM3,037, following the decline recorded in 2020 (-9.0%; RM2,933).

The overall rise in both median and mean monthly salaries & wages, per DOSM's report, was partly due to the continuous resumption of economic and social activities during the second half of the year, following the COVID-19 pandemic.

By state/territory

The report also revealed the data in terms of individual states/territories. Overall, Putrajaya saw the highest median monthly salaries & wages in 2021, with a median value of RM3,837. Then came Kuala Lumpur (RM3,054), Selangor (RM2,884), Labuan (RM2,611), Pulau Pinang (RM2,353), and Negeri Sembilan (RM2,297), with these six states recording higher median values than the national level (RM2,250).

By age group

By age group, most of the total salaries & wages recipients were in the age group of 25 to 29 years (17.8%), followed by 30 to 34 years (16.5%), and 35 to 39 years (15.3%).

According to the data, employees aged 40 to 44 years contributed the highest median monthly salaries & wages with a value of RM3,228, while those aged 20 to 24 years registered the lowest median with RM1,464. In comparison to the preceding year, most of the age groups recorded increases in the median of monthly salaries & wages.

Looking at the mean monthly salaries & wages, the highest mean value was posted by employees aged 45 to 49 years, with RM3,905, whereas those aged 55 to 59 years ranked second with RM3,857, followed by employees aged 40 to 44 years (RM3,815).

On the other hand, the largest recipient group of the mean monthly salaries & wages was in the age group of 25 to 29 years, earning RM104 more (recording RM2,333), as compared to 2020 (RM2,229).

By gender

Breaking the data down by employees' gender, the median and mean monthly salaries & wages for both male and female employees continued to increase as the restrictions to contain the spread of COVID-19 were eased gradually, as compared to the full lockdown in 2020. During the year, the median monthly salaries & wages of male employees rose by 10.6%, registering RM2,315 (2020: RM2,093). At the same time, the median value for female employees increased by 6.2% to record RM2,145, against RM2,019 in the previous year.

Subsequently, DOSM noted, the mean monthly salaries & wages for male employees in 2021 improved by 4.1% (+RM122) to register RM3,085 (2020: RM2,963). Similarly, that of female employees rose by 2.7% (2020: RM2,889; 2021: RM2,968).

By industry

Looking at the economic activities in 2021, all sectors in Malaysia recorded an increase in median monthly salaries & wages in 2021 compared to 2020, except the construction sector. Mining & quarrying continued to record the highest median monthly salaries & wages at RM3,921, followed by the services sector at RM2,550, and manufacturing (RM1,976).

While this was so, agriculture (RM1,490) continued to record the lowest median since 2010.

In terms of mean monthly salaries & wages, all sectors recorded an increase in 2021 as compared to the previous year, except for the mining & quarrying and construction sectors. Meanwhile, the mining & quarrying sector recorded the highest mean in 2021 (RM5,040, -0.5%), followed by the services sector (RM3,254; +4.9%), manufacturing (RM2,606; +2.5%), and construction (RM2,347; -8.2%). The lowest mean monthly salaries & wages were recorded in the agriculture sector (RM1,776).

Lead image / Shutterstock

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