When RM1,800 a month is ‘too high’ a salary in Sabah

Free Malaysia Today

The cost of doing business, lack of infrastructure, political instability and a small market are keeping salaries low in Sabah, say experts.   Read More:  https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2025/03/10/when-rm1800-a-month-is-too-high-a-salary-in-sabah/   Laporan Lanjut:  https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/tempatan/2025/03/10/bila-gaji-rm1800-terlalu-tinggi-di-sabah/   Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com  Follow FMT on Facebook: https://bit.ly/49JJoo5  Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM  Follow FMT on X: https://bit.ly/48zARSW  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/48Cq76h  Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3uKuQFp  Follow FMT Berita on TikTok: https://bit.ly/48vpnQG  Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/42VyzMX  Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/42YytEb  Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/42WrsUj  Follow FMT on WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/49GMbxW  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Download FMT News App:  Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46  App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ  Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP   #FMTNews #Sabah #Business #Salary

Transcript

00:00Nor Ashikin Diana, a graduate with a bachelor's degree in management technology, tried to

00:06get a job in her home state of Sabah but her asking salary of 1,800 ringgit a month was

00:12considered too high.

00:14That prompted her to go west to Peninsular Malaysia where she said salaries are much

00:19higher for jobs requiring the qualifications and skills that she possesses.

00:24Nor Ashikin's predicament is not unique to her.

00:28Employees in Sabah pay among the lowest salaries compared with the rest of the country according

00:32to data from the statistics department.

00:35Official statistics show the average salary in March 2023 was 4,858 ringgit a month in

00:42Putrajaya, 4,521 ringgit in Kuala Lumpur and 3,885 ringgit in Selangor.

00:51On the other hand, in Sabah, the average salary was only 3,127 ringgit a month.

00:58According to Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Christina

01:02Tee, many businesses in Sabah are family-owned, small or medium-sized enterprises focusing

01:08on the domestic market with limited resources to offer competitive wages compared to West

01:13Malaysia.

01:14SME Association of Sabah President Fumi Kee said running a business in Sabah is costly

01:20due to frequent power and water supply disruptions, poor connectivity within the state and limited

01:26links to other states and abroad.

01:28Meanwhile, economist Madeline Burma cited a lack of political stability and adequate

01:33infrastructure as factors that have prevented businesses in Sabah from offering more competitive

01:39wages.

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Transcript

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