Johor hotels struggle to retain workers drawn to Singapore wages

New Straits Times

a day ago

JOHOR BARU: Hotels in Johor are facing a severe staff shortage, with some operating at half capacity, as local workers opt for more lucrative jobs in Singapore.
Malaysian Budget and Business Hotel Association (MyBha) Johor chairman Jarod Chia said the situation has been worsening since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2022.
The shortage is particularly acute for front-of-house and housekeeping positions.
The association's 246 members are operating with only half of the required manpower, which affects daily operations.
The problem is worse during weekends, school holidays, and festive seasons when hotels have high occupancy.
At these times, staff must rush to prepare rooms for guests.
Chia said this could affect the "Visit Malaysia and Johor 2026" campaign.
"The basic salary for budget hotel staff in Johor ranges from RM1,700 to RM2,500 per month, while in Singapore, the starting salary for the same positions is three times higher, at around RM6,000 per month.
"Hotels in Johor are trying to offer additional incentives, such as extra allowances, but they still cannot attract local workers."
Chia said each budget hotel with at least 50 rooms needs eight staff - four for front-of-house and four for housekeeping - to operate optimally.
However, most are only operating with two or three staff for those positions.
"The time to clean a room after guests have used it is between 45 minutes and one hour, depending on the size," he said.
"Every time during the holiday season, hotel staff will face problems preparing rooms before guest check-in time due to the lack of staff."
Chu Jing Yee, a budget hotel manager, said the severe worker shortage is a reality faced by various job sectors in the city that have to compete with offers from Singapore.
While the shortage also affects the service and food and beverage sectors, she said the hotel sector in Johor is among the most severely affected.
"We have put up various job advertisements, but local young workers, including those from other states, are more interested in working in Singapore because of the higher salary," she said.
"Most of those working in the hotel sector in Johor are employees who have family commitments here, including those of middle age."
Chu said there were still not enough workers to fill the vacancies.
"The room rates for budget hotels in Johor start at only RM80 to RM150, depending on the type and size of the room, so we really won't be able to offer higher salaries (like in Singapore)," she said.