Minimum wage review to be finalised soon - Riot

The Ministry of Human Resources will submit the proposals in the minimum wage review for finalisation soon.

Its minister Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem said the review was conducted by the Minimum Wage Consultative Council in line with Section 25 of the National Wages Consultative Council Act which determined that a review of the minimum wage order be carried out at least once every two years.

He said the ministry was also in the midst of collecting data to publish the National Wages Index, aimed at providing a guide to job seekers and employers on the starting salary rate.

"The appropriate starting salary rate for various categories of jobs is according to qualification, job category and sector," he said in a statement issued, here, today.

He added that it was part of the ministry's efforts to ensure that the objectives under the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) are achieved, including increasing the percentage of skilled workers from 25 per cent to 35 per cent of the total workforce.

Riot said his ministry would also continue with the Recognition of Prior Experience and Learning (RPEL) programme and to upgrade enrolment and product of the Technical Education and Vocational Training (TEVT) programme.

He added that the additional allocation of RM1 billion for the Skills Development Fund under the 11MP would help increase the number of TVET students and intake capacity into Public and Private Skills Training Institutes.

"The implementation of the National Dual Training System would also be adapted based on 70 per cent training content which is apprenticeship-oriented to increase the number of students from 164,000 to 225,000 in 2020," he said.

Riot said the government would continue with efforts to increase remunerations and benefits from 30 per cent to 40 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product.

"In this matter, the employers must work at sharing profits with their workers, while the workers must raise their productivity including improving skills," he said.