'Just RM1,800 for new hires' - Woman laments how fresh grads in Sabah are being underpaid
In its 2024 salary survey, the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) reported that degree holders in Malaysia earn an average basic salary of RM2,703, with a gross monthly income averaging RM2,971.
However, a recent post by a user on Threads, @vfnvsvn, highlights a more troubling reality for fresh graduates in Sabah, where starting salaries can be as low as RM1,800.
'I was honestly in disbelief,' she wrote, after discovering that some companies in Kota Kinabalu were offering just RM1,800 to new hires.
She shared that a friend with a degree and a year of work experience had attempted to negotiate a RM2,000 salary, but the request was rejected.
'In the end, she accepted a Protege position simply because it was the only offer that met the RM2,000 mark here in Sabah,' she explained.
ALSO READ: 'Boycott companies paying below market wages' - M'sian frustrated by parties deeming RM3k starting salary as excessive
Another friend, she added, even took up a Protege role twice just for the slightly better pay.
'It's honestly so sad,' @vfnvsvn wrote. 'Fresh grads in Sabah — even in KK — are being paid so little. It's just not worth the workload.'
Malaysian netizens soon took to the comments section to share their own disheartening experiences of being offered shockingly low salaries in Sabah.
'I even did an audit at the biggest laundry company in Sandakan and was only paid RM600 to RM900. In the end, I got a job in KL that offered me RM6.5k as an entry-level salary. So tell me — how can Sabahans not want to leave Sabah?' questioned @theglacester.
'Meanwhile, I'm in Tawau. The basic salary I was offered is RM1,100 — and I'm a degree holder with six years of experience. The job title is rental assistant, but I also handle ad-hoc tasks as HR and my boss's PA. Back when I worked in the Peninsula as an operations executive, I was earning RM5,000. Honestly, I regret coming back here,' shared @edakalbu.
'Sad but true — that's why I'm job hunting in Penang,' added @brayondangelo.
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