M’sian Man Shares Why He Decides To Work In S’pore Despite The Struggles Faced

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