Overview

The median monthly wages in formal sector rise to RM3,045 with 5.0 per cent growth in December 2024. The median monthly wages in December 2024 was RM3,045, compared to RM2,764 in both November and October 2024. On average, the annual median wages in 2024 increased by 6.0 per cent as compared to 2023.

The number of citizens in the formal sector also continued to show a year-on-year increase, with a growth of 2.3 per cent (+156.6 thousand) to 6.83 million persons in December 2024.

In terms of formal employees by sex, in December 2024, the number of Malaysian male formal employees reached 3.77 million persons, contributing 55.2 per cent with median monthly wages of RM3,045. Meanwhile, female formal employees accounted for 44.8 per cent, equivalent to 3.06 million persons with median monthly wages of RM3,000. As compared to December 2023, the median monthly wages for both male and female formal employees showed an increasing trend of 3.4 per cent and 5.4 per cent, respectively.

Looking at detailed wage statistics by age group indicates that all age groups experienced steady year-on-year increases. The highest growth was recorded by the age group of 65 and above with median monthly wages at RM2,982 which increased by 8.3 per cent in December 2024. In addition, this age group also recorded an increase in terms of number of employees in December 2024, reflecting a rising participation of this group in the formal sector. Meanwhile, the formal employees aged below 20 years, who had maintained a median monthly wages of RM1,500 since June 2022, registered an increase by 1.8 per cent to RM1,527 in December 2024. During this period, formal employees aged 45 to 49 years earned the highest median monthly wages at RM4,082 (December 2024).

Delving into the statistics by economic activity also showed that all sectors recorded an increase in median monthly wages in all three months of the fourth quarter of 2024. The Mining & quarrying sector, which makes up only 0.6 per cent of all formal employees, recorded the highest year-on-year growth of 9.6 per cent in its median monthly wages, reaching RM7,500 in December 2024. In contrast, the Agriculture sector, representing 1.9 per cent of formal employees, reported the lowest median monthly wages at RM2,382, showing a 3.6 per cent year-on-year increase during the same period.

The median monthly wages recorded positive year-on-year growth across all states in the fourth quarter of 2024. Three states exceeded the national median monthly wages of RM3,045, with Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur registering the highest at RM4,200, followed by Pulau Pinang at RM3,382 and Selangor at RM3,300. However, the lowest median monthly wages were observed in Sabah, Perlis and Kelantan, at RM2,000, RM1,764, and RM1,664 respectively during the same period.

Regarding wage distribution, 29.2 per cent of total Malaysian formal employees earned monthly wages below RM2,000 in December 2024, marking a reduction of 2.0 percentage points compared to December 2023. Furthermore, percentile analysis revealed that the bottom 10 per cent of Malaysian formal employees received monthly wages of RM1,500 or less, while employees in the 90th percentile earned at least RM10,800 per month, reflecting a 5.9 per cent increase from December 2023. This disparity illustrates that employee in the 90th percentile earned seven times more than those in the lowest wage group, underscoring the prevailing wage gap between the highest and lowest earners.

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Baharudin Mohamad

Public Relation Officer

Email: baharudin[at]dosm.gov.my

Phone: 03 8885 7942

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