SINGAPORE: Amid concerns of a “brain drain” of skilled workers leaving Malaysia, an official study into Malaysians living in Singapore has found that two-thirds of those living and working here earn a gross salary of S$1,500 (US$1,116) to S$3,599 a month.
It also found that almost one in five Malaysian workers living here, or 18.5 per cent, earn S$3,600 to S$9,999 a month while the highest gross monthly salary is S$18,000 a month. About 1.2 per cent earn S$10,000 to S$17,999
The study, conducted in 2022, also said that 38 per cent of Malaysians here are employed. The rest are engaged in activities such as business, research and education, or are married to a Singaporean.
Of those in a job, nearly three in four, or 74 per cent, are skilled or semi-skilled, said the study put out on Monday (Feb 19) by the Department of Statistics Malaysia, an agency under the Prime Minister’s Department, and the Ministry of Economy.
A majority, or 62 per cent, of Malaysians living here are male.
A media statement released by the Malaysian authorities about the study warned of the “adverse effects” of the brain drain as skilled workers leave the country.
Malaysians working in Singapore and Brunei were attracted by good job prospects, favourable working conditions, attractive salaries and an advantageous exchange rate.
A separate study released at the same time profiled Malaysians living in Brunei. That study was conducted in 2023.
The Singapore study did not indicate how many Malaysians living in Singapore were surveyed.
It is believed to the first study of its type. TODAY has asked the Malaysian authorities if any similar study has previously been produced.
The trends identified in the Brunei study were broadly similar to those in the Singapore one.
The study on the nation bordering the East Malaysian state of Sarawak showed that 92 per cent of Malaysians who live and work there are skilled or semi-skilled, and with 50 per cent of the Malaysian diaspora in Brunei being there for work.