For decades, the minimum wage in Malaysia has stayed almost the same and with inflation, the minimum wage earned is barely enough to make ends meet.
Just recently, a man shared his thoughts on working in Singapore on a Facebook page.
In his post, he said:
“I am a worker in Singapore and my means of transportation is a motorcycle. Many people have asked me isn’t it tiring having to commute back and forth every day? Of course, it’s tiring, but what choice do I have?
“I have a family with 2 kids to feed, and if I were to come back to Malaysia for work, there’s no way I could afford our current living expenses.
“My current salary is $2,500SGD (RM8,000) and here’s the breakdown of my monthly expenses:
- House Instalment: RM1,500
- Maintenance fee: RM200
- Electricity & Utility bill: RM300
- Family Insurance: RM300
- Pre-school fees for 2 children: RM1,200
- Custom fees for entering and exiting Singapore: RM 384 ($120SGD)
- Petrol for car and motorcycle: RM400
- Wi-Fi: RM150
- Phone bill for my wife and I: RM100
- Car loan instalment (Vios): RM800
- Motorcycle loan instalment: RM200
- Food: RM1,400
- Household necessities: RM400
“The total expenses for all the mentioned above costs me RM7334, which means I only have RM666 left as savings.
“It’s hard to survive as a working individual in Malaysia. Unless you and your wife both have jobs, it’s going to be very tough. I’m just a guy who fixes air conditioners for a living. The monthly salary I would get if I was working in Malaysia would be RM4,500. In some cases, the bosses may even think that RM4,500 is too much for a guy who just fixes air conditioners.”
What do you think of the man’s reasoning?
Also read: JUST IN: Masks Optional In S’pore From August 29
