DOSM: Most Malaysians in Singapore, Brunei are skilled, semi-skilled workers

Most Malaysians in Singapore and Brunei are part of the skilled or semi-skilled workforce, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia.

Chief Statistician Mohd Uzir Mahidin said 39 percent of the diaspora working in Singapore are skilled workers and 35 percent are semi-skilled workers, while in Brunei, 68 percent of the working diaspora are skilled workers and 24.1 percent are semi-skilled workers.

He said the findings were obtained through the Malaysian Diaspora Study in Brunei last year and the Social Security Protection for Malaysian Citizens Working Abroad: Singapore study in 2022 in collaboration with the Social Security Organisation (Perkeso).

Both studies aimed at profiling the Malaysian diaspora in Brunei and Singapore, focusing on citizens working in those countries, he said, adding that they also cover the tendencies of Malaysians working abroad, especially regarding their social protection needs.

“For monthly gross salary, it was found that 66.7 percent of respondents working in Singapore receive salaries ranging from SG$1,500 to SG$3,599, and 18.5 percent get salaries between SG$3,600 and SG$9,999.

“Meanwhile, for those working in Brunei, 41.3 percent of the respondents receive monthly gross salaries between BN$1,000 and BN$3,000, and 43.5 percent receive between BN$3,001 and BN$10,000,” he said at the launching ceremony of the book on the reports of the Study of Compensation for Child and Youth Actors in Films and Dramas in Peninsular Malaysia and the Study of the Malaysian Diaspora in Brunei Darussalam, today.

He said the highest monthly gross salary recorded in Singapore in Brunei is SG$18,000 and BN$15,000.

According to Uzir, Malaysians choose to work in both countries because of the job opportunities and suitable working environments, higher salaries, and the high exchange rates of the Singapore dollar and Brunei dollar (SG$1=RM3.55, BN$1=RM3.56), among other things.

In terms of demographics, he said the 2022 findings noted that 38 percent of the Malaysian diaspora in Singapore are part of the workforce, while 62 percent are in the country for conducting business, undergoing training and research, education, or marriage.

He said the 2023 findings showed that 50 percent of the Malaysian diaspora in Brunei are workers, while the remainder is in the country due to marriage with Bruneians or family matters.

“However, there is one significant finding involving the similarity of Malaysians in Singapore and Brunei, which is they are there to conduct business,” he added.

- Bernama