HR Ministry to present new minimum wage proposal to cabinet likely in Sept

Steven Sim says report received from National Wages Consultative Council, cabinet paper distributed to relevant ministries for feedback on proposed rate

A proposal for a new minimum wage is expected to be presented at the cabinet meeting in September to review the current rate of RM1,500, which was last updated in May 2022 from RM1,200. Picture for illustration purposes. – Alif Omar/Scoop file pic, August 17, 2024

PUTRAJAYA – The proposal for a new minimum wage is expected to be presented at a cabinet meeting next month, said Human Resource Minister Steven Sim. 

He said the Human Resource Ministry had received a report and recommendations on the new minimum wage rate from the National Wages Consultative Council chaired by Tan Sri Zainal Rahim Seman. 

Sim said the ministry distributed a cabinet paper to the relevant ministries for feedback on the proposed wage rate. 

“We will present the cabinet paper for consideration and decision at the cabinet level, likely in September,” he told a press conference after the Manpower Department Training Institute convocation ceremony here today. 

Sim previously said that the government would review the minimum wage, which was last updated in May 2022, raising it from RM1,200 to RM1,500. 

Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim expressed hope that the private sector, especially companies with high profits, would review their salary schemes to provide more reasonable remuneration to their employees. 

He said the public service wage reform also serves as a message to private companies to increase workers’ wages to help alleviate their financial burden. – August 17, 2024