IEM: Competitive starting salaries crucial for local engineer career advancement

KUCHING (May 20): Competitive starting salaries are crucial for local engineer career advancement, said the Institution of Engineers, Malaysia (IEM).

Its president Prof Dr Jeffrey Chiang Choong Luin said IEM firmly believed that a collaborative effort among all stakeholders including the federal government is necessary to enhance the value and contributions of practising engineers in both private and public sectors.

“This alignment with market forces, based on economic principles of demand and supply, is essential for the progression of the engineering profession in Malaysia,” he said in a statement today to reiterate IEM’s position on the ongoing discussion regarding engineers’ salaries.

Early last year, Chiang said IEM established a Taskforce on Engineers’ Salaries to draft a comprehensive paper titled “Addressing the Issue of Engineers’ Salaries from the Consulting Engineers’ Perspective”.

“This paper, which will be finalised and launched in mid-2024, will provide recommended actions for relevant stakeholders to address salary disparities and enhance the attractiveness of engineering careers,” he said.

In response to recent statements by government officials and industry leaders regarding inadequate engineers’ salaries and the shortage of engineers in Malaysia, he asserted that, if these concerns accurately reflected the current situation, it was imperative for industry and public sector stakeholders to review and adjust engineers’ salaries to meet market demands.

Chiang pledged that IEM remained committed to its role as a learned society and professional engineering institution.

“We will continue to organise and conduct technical training and upskilling courses for our members and practising engineers. By enhancing their skills and value, engineers can better justify improved remuneration for their contributions to the industry,” he said.