Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia is firmly on track to building a more progressive and equitable labour market. 2025 marks the implementation of two key initiatives – the new Minimum Wage Order (MWO) and the Progressive Wage Policy (PWP) – aimed at strengthening workers’ rights, boosting labour productivity and fostering a more inclusive and sustainable national economy. […]

Goodwill: Sim (left) and Fahmi believe the additional holiday reflects the spirit of Malaysia Day. Procedures must be followed as Sept 15 is declared public holiday PETALING JAYA: Employers must comply with the public holiday declared for Sept 15 by either giving employees the day off with regular pay or pay public holiday rates if […]

PUTRAJAYA, July 23 — Employers must comply with the declaration of Sept 15 as an additional public holiday in conjunction with this year’s Malaysia Day celebration, said Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong. He said employers could observe the additional public holiday and pay the regular salary, or instruct their employees to work and […]

KUALA LUMPUR: The government has adopted a comprehensive, multi-agency approach to address labour market imbalances, particularly skills mismatches which currently account for 35.7% of the national unemployment rate, says Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Mohamad. The Deputy Human Resources Minister said the rate of skills-related underemployment had dropped from 37.3% in 2022 to 35.7% in the […]

MELAKA: The Human Resources Ministry is studying the introduction of a dedicated mechanism to facilitate post-retirement employment, says minister Steven Sim. In doing so, the ministry recognised the need to balance opportunities for senior workers with the interests of the younger workforce, he added. Sim said his ministry is reviewing certain provisions within the Employment […]

KLANG, May 23 — The Ministry of Human Resources (Kesuma) is currently reviewing the proposal to raise the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 65, said Minister Steven Sim. He said the matter was being examined by a special committee led by Kesuma’s deputy secretary-general (Policy and International) Dr Mohd Shaharin Umar as it involved […]

PUTRAJAYA, June 30 — Malaysia’s labour market gained momentum in 2024, recording its strongest post-pandemic performance yet, with key indicators showing improvement and stability expected to persist into 2025, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) said today. According to DOSM’s Annual Statistics of the Labour Force, Malaysia 2024, the unemployment rate fell to 3.2 per […]

PUTRAJAYA, Aug 1 — The National Wages Consultative Council (Amendment) Act 2025 came into effect today, extending the current minimum wage to apprenticeship contract workers.  In a statement, the Human Resources Ministry (Kesuma) said Minister Steven Sim had set Aug 1, 2025, as the commencement date for the amendments. “Under the amendment, the current minimum […]

PETALING JAYA: In a policy U-turn that puts compassion before compliance, the government has exempted over 82,000 frontline healthcare workers from the controversial 45-hour work week. Citing the relentless demands of life-saving duties, the move comes as a relief to nurses, emergency doctors, and medical assistants who had warned that longer shifts could jeopardise both […]

PUTRAJAYA, July 22 — The 2024 Minimum Wage Order of RM1,700 will come into full effect from August 1, according to the Ministry of Human Resources (Kesuma). In today’s statement, Kesuma announced that the order will apply to employers nationwide, regardless of the number of employees hired, following the end of the six-month deferment period […]