Cabinet approves progressive wage policy, details to be tabled in Budget 2024 - Rafizi

Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli said the system is expected to be implemented in April or May next year, hence the reason why the policy has to be included in the budget tabling.

"The policy has been approved in principal as well as the approach and then we have to go through a series of processes including bringing down to all stakeholders and the level of coverage for specific group.

"Thereafter, we will translate it into the financial commitment that the government has to do and we will go through in the budget process," he told reporters after the signing ceremony of the Executive Digital Leadership Programme here today.

He said the government puts more focus on the development of states during the budget in an effort to bridge the economic development gap between states in Malaysia.

"We have three categories actually... one that has been given priority (Sarawak, Sabah, Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Perlis); the second is for states with growth that have their own economic development without much injection from the federal government (Penang, Selangor and the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur); third is for states in the middle (Perak, Johor, Negeri Sembilan and Melaka).

"This is also a change that we are refining because we also need to be fair to certain states such as Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Melaka," he said.

Budget 2024 has been scheduled for tabling in Parliament on Oct 13.