KUALA LUMPUR: People working in the country’s engineering, IT and healthcare sectors earn the most amount of money, according to the latest findings by leading financial comparison website iMoney.
It also said those working in the hotel and restaurant industry, the education and training sector, as well as training and human resources are paid the lowest.
The findings are based on a report by online career-recruiting company Jobstreet, which uses actual job advertisements.
iMoney said although the hotel and restaurant industries offered among the highest salaries for entry-level positions, it is also listed as the worst-paying industry overall.
The best paying entry-level jobs, it said, are in the engineering and construction sectors (RM5,533), hotels, restaurants and business management consultancies (RM5,100) and IT (RM4,600).
For junior executives, the best paid jobs are in the IT banking and financial sectors (RM6,500), healthcare retail and merchandise (RM5,950), and the IT and chemical industries (RM5,182).
Further up the ladder, the highest paying senior executive jobs are in the science and oil and gas industries (RM28,250), healthcare grooming, beauty and fitness business (RM15,167), and engineering consulting (RM11,333).
At for manager level jobs, the highest salaries come from the construction and oil and gas industries (RM15,611), accounting and jewellery sectors (RM14,500), and engineering and fast-moving consumer goods sectors (RM14,500).
For senior management positions, the highest salaries come from the administration and human resources, construction and engineering (RM35,000), followed by healthcare services (RM27,500), and the semiconductor industry (RM27,500).
iMoney said lower level positions in certain industries offered higher salaries compared to management-level jobs.
For example, the salary of a senior executive position in the oil and gas industry is higher than jobs in the managerial role.
The report also showed that the monthly average salary in Malaysia is RM5,000, while the maximum is RM83,333.
It also highlighted that six out of 10 Malaysian employees would change jobs for better salaries or benefits.
It said 40 per cent of employees would stay with their current employer for work-life balance, while a total of 38 per cent of employees would stay because of their salary packages.
The report also indicated that 40 per cent of employees in Malaysia received an average of three to six per cent in salary increments.
It is also pointed out that geography is a factor that influences pay levels for a given job.
In general, salaries are higher in the central region such as Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.
However, the same job can offer different salaries depending on the location, such as the semiconductor industry in East Malaysia, which rakes in RM27,500 a month on average in senior managerial roles.