00:00Nor Ashikin Diana, a graduate with a bachelor's degree in management technology, tried to
00:06get a job in her home state of Sabah but her asking salary of 1,800 ringgit a month was
00:12considered too high.
00:14That prompted her to go west to Peninsular Malaysia where she said salaries are much
00:19higher for jobs requiring the qualifications and skills that she possesses.
00:24Nor Ashikin's predicament is not unique to her.
00:28Employees in Sabah pay among the lowest salaries compared with the rest of the country according
00:32to data from the statistics department.
00:35Official statistics show the average salary in March 2023 was 4,858 ringgit a month in
00:42Putrajaya, 4,521 ringgit in Kuala Lumpur and 3,885 ringgit in Selangor.
00:51On the other hand, in Sabah, the average salary was only 3,127 ringgit a month.
00:58According to Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Christina
01:02Tee, many businesses in Sabah are family-owned, small or medium-sized enterprises focusing
01:08on the domestic market with limited resources to offer competitive wages compared to West
01:13Malaysia.
01:14SME Association of Sabah President Fumi Kee said running a business in Sabah is costly
01:20due to frequent power and water supply disruptions, poor connectivity within the state and limited
01:26links to other states and abroad.
01:28Meanwhile, economist Madeline Burma cited a lack of political stability and adequate
01:33infrastructure as factors that have prevented businesses in Sabah from offering more competitive
01:39wages.
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