Malaysia’s Progressive Wage Policy has raised salaries for 32,000 workers by up to 16%, with RM34 million in incentives paid to employers.
KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 32,000 workers have received salary increases of up to 16% under the Progressive Wage Policy (PWP) initiative as of November.
Human Resources Minister Steven Sim said the workers are employed by about 3,000 employers who have implemented the PWP since its pilot introduction in June 2024.
He said RM34 million in incentives have been channelled to date.
“All these workers have received salary increases and are also required to meet the minimum training requirement of 21 hours a year or undergo the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) as part of the criteria to qualify for the incentive payment,” he told the Dewan Rakyat.
Sim said the PWP has raised the median starting wage by RM300, or 16%, to RM2,200 compared to RM1,900 previously.
Workers employed for more than 12 months saw their minimum wage rise by 13%, or RM290, to RM2,490 from RM2,200.
As of November, nearly 6,000 employers had opened accounts in the Progressive Wage system.
Almost 4,000 of those employers had submitted applications to participate in the initiative.
Separately, Sim said the maximum capacity at all Social Security Organisation (PERKESO) rehabilitation centres is 1,630 patients.
The centres are located in Melaka (500 capacity), Perak (800) and Terengganu (330).
The rehabilitation centre in Meru, Perak, which began phased operations on July 22, has treated 232 patients so far.
Sim said PERKESO is prepared to ensure rehabilitation services can meet rising demand ahead of the centre’s full operation next year.
This follows the recent Dewan Rakyat approval of the Lindung 24/7 protection scheme.
The scheme provides round-the-clock coverage for workers, including outside working hours, benefiting nearly 10 million formal-sector workers nationwide. – Bernama
