Minimum wage not benchmark for all starting salaries: Sim

BUDGET 2025 | Employers have been cautioned against using the new minimum wage rate as the starting salary for all employees, including graduates, said Human Resources Minister Steven Sim.

He explained that the increase in the minimum wage from RM1,500 to RM1,700, as announced in Budget 2025 on Friday, is intended as a basic wage for workers with lower academic qualifications and skills, including those in the 3D (dirty, dangerous, and difficult) sector.