Workers feel wage lift

Median salaries gain 8.7 per cent while gap with national figure narrows to RM233

KUCHING: Sarawak’s median monthly pay rose 8.7 per cent in 2025, with wage growth remaining strong even after inflation was taken into account.

The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) recorded median monthly salaries and wages of RM2,707 for Malaysian citizen employees in Sarawak, up RM217 from RM2,490 in 2024.

According to its Salaries & Wages Survey Report 2025, Sarawak’s median grew faster than the national rate of 5.3 per cent, narrowing the gap with the national figure to RM233 a month from RM303 a year earlier.

The state also recorded an increase in mean, or average, monthly salaries and wages to RM3,645 from RM3,424.

This represented a gain of RM221, or 6.5 per cent, compared with national average wage growth of 4.1 per cent.

Sarawak’s gap with the national average consequently narrowed to RM158 from RM228.

DOSM defines the median as the middle value when employees’ salaries and wages are arranged in ascending order.

The improvement remained substantial after adjusting for inflation.

Sarawak’s real median monthly salaries and wages rose RM150, or 7.7 per cent, to RM2,103 in 2025 from RM1,953 a year earlier.

DOSM said real wages were adjusted for inflation to reflect employees’ purchasing power over time, using 2010 as the base year.

The number of Malaysian citizen salary and wage recipients in Sarawak also increased to 784,800 from 771,700.

Female recipients rose to 298,400 from 283,200, while male recipients declined slightly to 486,400 from 488,400.

A sharp shift was also recorded in median pay between men and women.

Median monthly pay for male employees climbed to RM2,688 from RM2,140 in 2024, while the female median edged down to RM2,747 from RM2,750.

Women continued to record a higher median than men, although the difference narrowed sharply to RM59 from RM610 a year earlier.

For average monthly pay, men recorded RM3,711, up from RM3,402, while women received RM3,538, up from RM3,460.

DOSM said the survey was conducted from January to December 2025, with its principal statistics covering Malaysian citizens working as full-time paid employees in their main jobs in the public and private sectors.

The wage measure covered basic wages, cost-of-living allowances, other guaranteed and regularly paid allowances in cash or in kind, and overtime payments.

Bonuses, gratuities, family allowances and social security payments made by employers were excluded.