90% of M'sian workforce cannot cope with GST, survey revealed

PETALING JAYA: 90% of respondents from a recent survey by JobStreet.com revealed that they do not think they can cope with their daily expenses following the imposition of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
The survey revealed that 24% of them were already facing problems with their expenses even before GST was imposed.
"The weight of GST has prompted significant changes in the daily routine of these survey respondents.
"More than half of them (56%) said they have minimised having lunch with their colleagues, while 47% of them started packing food from home.
"Some have also resorted to other frugal activities, such as utilising the pantries more frequently and carpooling to control their expenses," revealed the survey.
A total 1,454 employees and 490 employers participated in the survey.
Asked on their salaries, the majority of respondents divulged that they would need a pay raise to help them better cope with GST.
Some 40% said that they would need a 10% to 20% increase in salary, while 36% are looking at a 20% to 50% increment.
In terms of benefit packages, 63% of the respondents voiced their need for a petrol allowance to help mitigate the pinch of the new imposed tax.
A number of respondents are exploring new ways of generating a better income in order cope with the upsurge in prices.
The survey revealed that some 35% of them are considering changing their jobs, while 33% are looking into other alternatives, such as part-time and freelance jobs.
Additionally, the survey results garnered from the employers’ side showed that 41%of companies had encountered increasing demands in employee wages since the execution of GST.
However, only 19% of the total number of employers have offered salary increments.