Govt: Median wage for professionals RM6k, could get S$7k in Singapore

 

Putrajaya's research has indicated that Malaysian professionals could be earning significantly more if they worked in Singapore.

It's a problem the government is trying to tackle via various programmes aimed at retaining talent.

In a written parliamentary reply dated yesterday, Human Resources Minister R Ramanan said the Statistics Department's 2025 wage survey found that the median wage of professionals is RM6,124 per month.

In comparison, a study by TalentCorp found that the majority of Malaysian professionals working in Singapore can earn between S$4,001 (RM12,773) and S$7,000 a month.

The same study found that Malaysian professionals with specialised skills, particularly in the IT sector, could earn more than SG$10,000 if they worked in the city state.

To tackle this, Ramanan said the government is driving wage growth through its progressive wage policy programme.

In its current form, the programme is meant to increase the wages of those earning below RM5,000.

Other initiatives

Another initiative to retain Malaysian professionals is the Knowledge Worker incentives at the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone.

This incentive applies a flat personal income tax rate of 15 percent to those employed by companies that operate in the zone. The measure is meant to attract Singapore-based companies to relocate to Johor to cut company costs, while increasing wages for locals.

For context, the income tax rate for those earning the professional median wage of RM6,124 a month in Malaysia would be 19 percent.

Additionally, TalentCorp's Returning Experts Programme also offers a 15 percent flat income tax rate to woo Malaysian professionals abroad, among other benefits. - Mkini