Rafizi: KL Has Malaysia’s Highest Average Salary at RM4.1K, Double Than Kelantan’s Which is Lowest

With a 13% increment announced for the civil servants, will it (finally) be enough to survive in Klang Valley?

According to the 2023 Economic Census shared by the Minister of Economic Affairs of Malaysia via his Facebook post, this place in Malaysia offers the highest average salary – RM4,196 in Kuala Lumpur, followed by Selangor where the employees get around RM3,563 on average, and with Penang comes in at 3rd (RM3,496).

The census also revealed that individuals earned in Kelantan earn the least in Malaysia – with an average monthly salary of only RM2,070.

Chief Statistician, Datuk Seri Dr. Mohd Uzir Mahidin, explained that the high salary in KL is due to the growing service sector which is moving rapidly.

What are the sectors that offer the highest wages in Malaysia?

If you’re thinking of doctors and lawyers, you guessed wrong! According to the census, the telecommunication industry in KL has the highest salary, with RM9,457 on average. 

The 2nd highest earners are those in the broadcasting industry, with an average of RM8,629 monthly salary, followed by the finance industry (RM6,946).

Employees in Selangor also earn the most from the telecommunication industry, with an average pay of RM7,580. Penang stands out in the manufacturing sector, especially in electrical, electronic, and optical product manufacturing with an average salary of RM4,790

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Here is a list of average monthly salaries that followed after Penang,

• Labuan: RM3,491
• Malacca: RM3,115
• Sarawak: RM3,077
• Negeri Sembilan: RM3,025
• Putrajaya: RM2,994
• Johor: RM2,987
• Terengganu: RM2,793
• Kedah: RM2,721
• Silver: RM2,679
• Pahang: RM2,628
• Sabah: RM2,381
• Perlis: RM2,253
• Kelantan: RM2,070

The census also highlighted the significant growth in the workforce, showing a 1.8% increase in the number of employees in 2022 (10 million employees).

The total amount of salaries and wages increased by 5.4% annually, reaching RM354.9 billion in 2022. The highest increase in salary goes to those in the service sector, with a growth of 6.5% (RM204.4 billion).

What do you think of the census? Is it time for some sectors to increase their monthly salary?

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