What happens when minimum wage jumps this much?
Opinion
06 Oct 2026 • 3:00 PM MYT

Imagine Malaysia raising minimum wage from RM1,700 to RM3,000. That’s a 76% increase. What would actually happen?
Hungary almost doubled theirs and small businesses shed jobs. Spain raised theirs by 22% and employment among affected workers barely fell. Mexico raised theirs by 142% over five years, without the massive employment collapse some feared.
So why such different outcomes?
