KOTA KINABALU: Despite national data showing wage growth, concerns have surfaced over low starting salaries for fresh graduates in Sabah, with some reportedly being offered just RM1,800 a month,
The Sun reported.
A Threads user recently went viral after revealing that companies here rejected salary negotiations as low as RM2,000, forcing graduates to settle for lower-paying protege roles.
The Malaysian Employers Federation reported in its 2024 survey that the average monthly gross income for degree holders is RM2,971, making the RM1,800 starting salary in Sabah well below the national average.
Meanwhile, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) confirmed that nearly 30 per cent of Malaysia’s formal sector workers were still earning RM2,000 or less by the end of 2024.
Although the median monthly wage rose to RM3,045, Sabah recorded one of the lowest at RM2,000, just above Kelantan (RM1,664) and Perlis (RM1,764).
The wage gap remains stark, with Malaysia’s top 10 per cent earning at least RM10,800—more than seven times the income of the bottom 10 per cent, who earned RM1,500 or less.
This disparity, combined with the experiences of underpaid graduates in Sabah, has sparked debate online over wage equity and job value across Malaysia’s states.
