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KUALA LUMPUR – Some stakeholders welcomed the prime minister’s announcement on the new national minimum wage of RM1,500 (an increase from RM1,200), hoping for better living wages in the future.
HRD Corp chief operating officer Datuk Ariff Farhan Doss said the move to increase the current minimum wage is in line with HRD Corp’s aspiration to ensure Malaysians benefit from having higher salaries.
Speaking to The Vibes, Ariff said HRD Corp will still maintain its focus in ensuring Malaysians are given opportunities to acquire additional skills as this would guarantee better employability and prospects for better wages.
“Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M Saravanan has been instrumental in pushing us to serve as many Malaysians as possible since the pandemic hit.
“The minister has been most instrumental in pushing for higher living wages for all Malaysians and this announcement will bring relief to many whose wages have been stagnant for some time now,” Ariff said when contacted.
However, Ariff acknowledged that there may be pushback by several quarters who may not receive the move positively.
Ariff points out that this has even caused previous governments to face obstacles in increasing the minimum wage due to opposition from these quarters.
“It is our view that generally, Malaysians are deserving of higher wages and the argument that productivity has not risen in tandem with wage increases is not entirely true.
“We, therefore, urge the government to prioritise upskilling and reskilling to mitigate the challenges some employers may face with the imposition of this new minimum wage,” Ariff added. – The Vibes, March 19, 2022
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