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Glints Hiring Guide
Browse our hiring guide to learn more about the talent landscape, local labor laws and hiring best practices in Malaysia.
CAPITAL
Kuala
Lumpur
TIME ZONE
Kuala Lumpur UTC +8
CURRENCY
Ringgit
Malaysia (RM)
LANGUAGES
Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mandarin, Tamil
EMPLOYERS TAX
19.2% - 22.7%
PAYROLL CYCLE
Monthly
Malaysia is rapidly transforming under the Twelfth Malaysia Plan 2021-2025; realigning its labor market and developing future-ready talent. This is giving rise to a strong pipeline of hybrid Malaysian talent, who are generalists with key competencies across multiple skill sets. International companies also view Malaysian talent as having the qualities they require for industrial expansion, most notably in the tech and engineering sectors.
Tech skills in demand
Sales Executive
Full Stack Developer
Backend Developer
Frontend Developer
Web Developer
Malaysia’s median salary is not as competitive as compared to other Southeast Asian countries. The talent pool is highly educated and have a good command of the English language.
Popular jobs and median monthly base salary
The Global Competitiveness Report 2019 by the World Economic Forum places Malaysian talent a high 6th out of 141 in terms of its pay-to-productivity ratio.
Median Monthly Base Salary (in RM)
Median Monthly Base Salary (in USD)
Sales Executive
3,010
710
Full Stack Developer
7,640
1,800
Backend Developer
9,590
2,260
Fronted Developer
9,000
2,120
Web Developer
12,950
3,050
Monthly Base Salary
MR 9,270
USD 2,100
MR 7,990
USD 1,810
MR 9,490
USD 2,150
Data Scientist
MR 9,220
USD 2,090
Business Development & Sales Executive
MR 3,090
USD 700
Looking to build teams in Malaysia? Browse more jobs and salaries in our free salary guide to keep growing.
Malaysia is a multi-cultural nation that embodies various Asian values from the respective cultures. However, the country also observes Islamic values in their day to day interactions at work.
Collectivism over Individualism
Majority of local firms practice group-centeredness — the traditional value of cooperation amongst group members to maintain group harmony.
Strong religious influence
As a Muslim-majority country, a culture of modesty and gratitude is prevalent in Malaysia. This influences business attire as well as office norms. Employers should provide concessions when it comes to Friday prayers and Ramadan working hours.
Relationship oriented
Trust is a key factor in the Malaysian workplace. Personal relationships play a big role when it comes to interacting with others, often delving into questions about personal lives such as family.
Value harmony over conflict
Malaysians tend to not be upfront about how they feel. When confronted, they will often try to deescalate the situation and resolve it in a peaceful manner. They also tend to not voice out their honest opinions when asked to express their views about the management.
It's best for employers to engage with them directly and leverage personal relationships so that employees can be comfortable to voice out their views.
Employers are required to issue a written contract of service for any employment that exceeds a period of 1 month. The contract must be retained by the employers for 6 years after its expiry. The legal framework that governs employment contracts in Malaysia are stated under the Employment Act 1955 and the Industrial Relations Act 1967. Employees who earn more than RM4,000 (US$900) per month are exempted from some overtime pay and termination compensation regulations.
Contract
Holidays
Benefits
Insurance
Payroll
Bonus
Taxes
Termination
Hiring the right talent and building great teams in Southeast Asia and Taiwan can be quite a daunting task. You’ll need a deep understanding of the local talent pool, their skills, culture, and employment laws — among others.
The hiring process is often tedious, time-consuming and costly without the right approach. With Glints’ end-to-end talent solutions, you’ll have a trusted partner to lean on at every step of the hiring journey, so that you can scale up your business with peace of mind.
Not sure how to start hiring in Malaysia? Schedule a no-obligation consultation with our experts today.
