KUALA LUMPUR: The minimum wage will be raised from RM1,500 to RM1,700 a month, effective Feb 1, 2025.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said for employers with less than five workers, the new minimum wage would come into force on Aug 1, 2025.
"The Madani government always prioritises the issue of the people's income. Economic restructuring is only deemed successful when people earn meaningful wages and salaries to live more comfortably.
"The government has agreed to raise the minimum wage from RM1,500 to RM1,700 a month, which will take effect from Feb 1, 2025.
"The government has also decided to postpone the enforcement of the RM1,700 minimum wage for employers with fewer than five employees for six months, starting from Aug 1, 2025.
"Additionally, the Human Resources Ministry will also publish salary guidelines for all sectors, for the reference of employees.
"For example, the starting salary for an industrial and production technician would be RM2,290," he said when tabling the 2025 Budget in Dewan Rakyat today.
At present, the minimum wage is at RM1,500.
The implementation of the new minimum wage of RM1,500 was approved by the then government on March 19, 2022.
It was gazetted in the Federal Government Gazette issued by the Attorney General's Department on April 27 of the same year.
The Minimum Wage Order (PGM) 2022 was subsequently enforced on May 1, 2022, for all sectors regardless of the region, for employers who employ five or more workers.
However, for employers with fewer than five employees, the government allowed a deferment of the implementation of the minimum wage until June 30, 2023.