Could RM3,100 Become Malaysia’s Next Minimum Wage?

MTUC Secretary-General Kamarul Baharin Mansor has proposed RM3,100 as a benchmark for Malaysia’s next minimum wage review, bringing living costs, skills and long-term salary progression into the conversation. 

| Written by Palak Kataria

Image Courtesy: Magnific

For Malaysia’s workforce, the next minimum wage conversation could be about more than simply changing the number on a payslip.

The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) has proposed RM3,100 per month as a reference point for Malaysia’s next minimum wage, as the country looks ahead to its next statutory wage review.

Malaysia’s current minimum wage stands at RM1,700 per month, following the increase implemented in 2025. The RM3,100 figure is currently a proposal rather than an approved new minimum wage, an important distinction as discussions continue.

What makes the proposal particularly relevant for the workplace is the conversation surrounding the number.

Kamarul Baharin Mansor, Secretary-General of MTUC, has linked the proposed benchmark with everyday expenses including food, housing and transportation. RM3,100 also has wider context within Malaysia’s wage landscape, having been referenced as an approximate living-wage benchmark under an initiative involving government-linked investment companies.

But MTUC is looking beyond the starting salary.

The organisation has also called for a more structured approach to wage progression, where employees’ skills, education, experience and length of service have a clearer role in how their salaries develop.

That shifts the discussion from one question; “What should the minimum wage be” to another that could matter just as much to employees: “What should happen to their pay as their capabilities and experience grow?”

For HR leaders, that makes Malaysia’s wage conversation particularly interesting. A meaningful compensation strategy is not only about where employees begin, but also whether they can see a clear path forward

Malaysia’s next statutory minimum wage review is due by February 2027. Until then, RM3,100 remains a proposed benchmark, but the discussion around it is already bringing greater attention to how pay, skills and career progression can work together.

Source(s): Bernama; Malaysian Trades Union Congress; Ministry of Finance Malaysia.