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Administrative assistant salary in Malaysia

Gaji Pembantu Tadbir (Perkeranian/Operasi)Gaji Pembantu Tadbir (Kewangan)Gaji Pembantu Tadbir (Undang-Undang)

What federal ministries and departments pay new administrative assistants at each entry level under the 2026 public-service pay scale, with the allowances set by the JPA circular.

MalaysiaSSPA pay scale · Budget 2026DOSM Salaries & WagesRM per monthUpdated 20 Oct 2026
Government pay scaleMaximum basic / month
Entry, SPMAdministrative assistant, N1, W1, L1RM4,680PromotionGrade 2RM5,770SeniorGrade 3RM6,090SeniorGrade 4RM6,410
Minimum to maximum basicScale RM0 to RM8kSSPA pay scale, Budget 2026
Starting basicRM1,500RM18,000 a yearN1, SPM or SVMSee the pay breakdown →With allowancesRM2,265RM27,180 a yearBasic plus RM765 fixed allowances, Kuala LumpurSee the pay breakdown →Top of grade 1RM4,680RM56,160 a yearMaximum basic at N1See the pay scale →
At a glance

Administrative assistant salary in Malaysia

What the job is: General office clerks perform a range of clerical and administrative tasks according to established procedures. ILO ISCO-08, 4110 General Office Clerks

  • Administrative assistant, clerical and operations (N1): RM1,500 basic a month (SPM or SVM), up to RM1,622 with higher qualifications.
  • With fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur: RM2,265 a month at N1.
  • Administrative assistant, finance (W1): RM1,500 basic, RM2,265 with allowances.
  • Administrative assistant, legal (L1): RM1,500 basic, RM2,265 with allowances.
  • Pay scale: grade 1 runs from RM1,500 to RM4,680, rising RM100 a year.

What a new administrative assistant earns

An administrative assistant at N1 starts on RM1,500 basic, plus RM765 in fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur: RM2,265 a month. Higher qualifications start higher.

Grade N1, from the SPA service scheme and the JPA allowance circular. The starting point depends on the qualification.

Qualification or pay itemGrade N1RM a month
SPM or SVMStarting basic1,500
SPM and SKM level 2Starting basic1,561
SPM and SKM level 3Starting basic1,622
Fixed allowances, Kawasan AHousing (ITP) RM300, public service (ITKA) RM115, cost of living (BISH) RM350765
Total fixed pay at the start, SPM or SVMBasic plus fixed allowances, Kawasan A2,265

Sources: SPA scheme page for grade N1; JPA Pekeliling Perkhidmatan 1/2024, Lampiran E. BISH is lower outside Kawasan A. Totals computed by Foundific.

What it means
  • A year at the start: RM2,265 × 12 = RM27,180.
  • Allowances counted here are the fixed ones in the JPA circular. Any allowance tied to a particular post is not included.

How to become a administrative assistant

There are three administrative assistant schemes, all at grade 1 with SPM: clerical and operations (N1), finance (W1) and legal (L1).

Entry levelQualificationStarting basic, RMWith allowances, RM
Administrative assistant, clerical and operations (N1)SPM or SVM1,5002,265
Administrative assistant, clerical and operations (N1)SPM and SKM level 21,5612,326
Administrative assistant, clerical and operations (N1)SPM and SKM level 31,6222,387
Administrative assistant, finance (W1)SPM with a credit in mathematics, commerce or principles of accounting1,5002,265
Administrative assistant, finance (W1)SPM and a commerce certificate (bookkeeping) or SKM level 21,5612,326
Administrative assistant, finance (W1)SPM and a higher commerce certificate (accounting) or SKM level 31,6222,387
Administrative assistant, legal (L1)SPM or SVM1,5002,265
Administrative assistant, legal (L1)SPM and SKM level 21,5612,326
Administrative assistant, legal (L1)SPM and SKM level 31,6222,387

Source: SPA scheme pages. Allowances from the JPA circular, Kawasan A: N1 RM765, W1 RM765, L1 RM765. Totals computed by Foundific.

What it means
  • Bahasa Melayu: every route needs a credit in Bahasa Melayu at SPM or SVM.

How pay grows on the government scale

Grade 1 pay rises RM100 a year, from RM1,500 up to RM4,680. Promotion to a higher grade moves an officer onto a higher range.

Minimum and maximum monthly basic salary for each SSPA grade, 2026.

GradeWhoMinimumMaximumYearly increment
1Administrative assistant N1, W1, L1, entry with SPM1,5004,680100
2Promotion grade2,2205,770115
3Promotion grade2,7906,090125
4Promotion grade2,9306,410130

Source: Ministry of Finance, Budget 2026 establishment list, Lampiran A: SSPA salary codes and minimum-maximum salaries (page A-1). Basic salary only.

What it means
  • Increments only: at RM100 a year, an officer starting at RM1,500 would need about 32 yearly increments to reach RM4,680.

Pay after 5, 10 and 20 years

Starting at RM1,500 at grade 1, with the RM100 yearly increment and no promotion. The grade maximum, RM4,680, is reached after about 32 years.

Years in gradeBasic, RM a monthWith fixed allowances, RM a monthFixed pay, RM a year
At the start1,5002,26527,180
After 5 years2,0002,76533,180
After 10 years2,5003,26539,180
After 20 years3,5004,26551,180

Foundific calculation from the Budget 2026 SSPA scale, with fixed allowances at the Kawasan A rate, which do not rise with increments. Promotion, special payments and allowance changes are not included.

Compared with Malaysian pay overall

A new administrative assistant's fixed pay, RM2,265, is below the national median of RM2,940. The public administration and defence median, RM4,483, covers workers of all grades and years.

FigureSourceRM a month
New administrative assistant, N1, basic plus fixed allowances, Kuala LumpurSPA and JPA, 20262,265
Median salary, public administration and defenceDOSM, 20244,483
Median salary, all Malaysian citizensDOSM, 20252,940
Median salary, semi-skilled workers, citizensDOSM, 20252,223
  • Industry median covers all employees in the industry, most of them experienced.
  • Measures differ: DOSM figures cover all paid employees and all ages. The government figure is one fixed pay point. Use them for scale, not as a direct comparison.
  • Your own pay: place it on this scale, the DOSM figures and court awards with the Malaysia salary comparison.

Administrative assistants outside government

No official source publishes administrative assistant pay outside government.

  • DOSM publishes salaries by state, sector and skill level, but not by job title.
  • Private surveys and job ads use different measures and samples, so their figures are not mixed into the tables here.

Data sources and coverage

Government pay for administrative assistants is exact. No official source covers private-sector pay for the job.

SourceWhat it givesStrength
SPA service schemes N1, W1, L1Starting basic pay by qualificationStrong: official and current
Budget 2026, SSPA pay scaleMinimum, maximum and yearly increment for every gradeStrong: official and current
JPA SSPA circular, Lampiran EFixed allowances by grade and areaStrong: official
DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey 2024 and 2025Industry and national mediansWeak for one job title
  • What a payslip shows is basic plus allowances plus any shift, on-call or overtime pay, so it can be higher than the fixed figures here.

Is administrative assistant work affected by AI?

The International Labour Organization rates general office clerks Very high for exposure to generative AI. Its scores cover the job worldwide, so they apply in Malaysia too.

Based on the International Labour Organization's 2025 index, which scores every core task of a job from 0 (AI cannot help) to 1 (AI could do nearly all of it).

Administrative assistant
Very highAI exposure
Not exposedVery high

AI can do much of the routine work in this job. It is among the most exposed jobs.

  • Most exposed taskTranscribing information onto computers, and proofreading…
  • Least exposed taskSorting, opening and sending mail
  • In numbersAI could do a large part of 7 of its 8 main tasks.
Administrative assistantISCO 4110
Very highexposure to generative AI
  1. Not exposed
  2. Minimal
  3. Some
  4. Moderate
  5. High
  6. Very high

Scored as ILO group 4110 General office clerks. Average task score 0.59, higher than 97% of the 427 jobs the ILO scored.

Seven factors
FactorAdministrative assistant
1Exposure levelThe ILO's rating for the whole job, from not exposed up to very high.Very high
2Average task scoreHow much of each core task generative AI could do, averaged. 0 means none, 1 means nearly all.0.59 higher than 97% of jobs
3Tasks AI could do much ofTasks scoring 0.5 or more. These are the parts of the job most likely to change.7 of 8
4Hands-on or people tasksTasks scoring under 0.25: physical, in-person or judgement work that AI barely touches.0 of 8
5How even the exposure isEven means AI touches most tasks a little. Uneven means a few tasks are exposed and the rest are not.Mixed (0.10)
6Most exposed taskWhere AI tools are likely to show up first.Transcribing information onto computers, and proofreading… 0.71
7Least exposed taskThe task AI can help with least.Sorting, opening and sending mail 0.39
Most and least exposed tasks
Administrative assistant
Most exposed tasks
  • 0.71Transcribing information onto computers, and proofreading and correcting copy
  • 0.69Checking figures, preparing invoices and recording details of financial…
  • 0.65Preparing reports and correspondence of a routine nature
Least exposed tasks
  • 0.39Sorting, opening and sending mail
  • 0.54Photocopying and faxing documents
  • 0.56Recording issue of equipment to staff
Compared with our other Malaysian guides
JobExposureAvg task score
Administrative assistantVery high0.59
AccountantHigh0.51
IT officerModerate0.49
Computer technicianModerate0.47
PTD officerMinimal0.42
PsychologistSome0.39
ArchitectMinimal0.37
Legal officerMinimal0.36
PharmacistMinimal0.33
Customs officerMinimal0.32
EngineerNot exposed0.30
TeacherNot exposed0.30
DoctorNot exposed0.29
Agriculture officerNot exposed0.28
PhysiotherapistMinimal0.28
Assistant engineerNot exposed0.28
Medical assistantNot exposed0.23
RadiographerNot exposed0.22
NurseMinimal0.22
FirefighterNot exposed0.18
DentistNot exposed0.15
Prison officerNot exposed0.14
Source: ILO Working Paper 140, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (Gmyrek et al., 2025), CC BY 4.0. Malaysian jobs are matched to ILO groups by their ISCO-08 code; MASCO follows ISCO-08 at four digits. The ILO scores international job groups, not Malaysian titles. How we read the AI scores.
What it means
  • What exposure measures: how much of the work AI could do or speed up. It does not measure job cuts.

What the pay figures include

Every figure is monthly basic pay or fixed allowances, before deductions.

MeasureIncludesExcludes
Basic salaryGaji pokok on the SSPA scaleAllowances, shift, on-call and overtime pay, special payments
Fixed allowancesITP, BISH, ITKA or ITK, and BIPK as advertised for the postShift, on-call and overtime pay
DOSM salaryMonthly salaries and wages of paid employeesSelf-employed and unpaid family workers

Questions

What is the administrative assistant salary in Malaysia?

A new government administrative assistant starts on RM1,500 basic a month (N1, SPM or SVM). With fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur the total is RM2,265 a month, in 2026.

What is the administrative assistant salary per year in Malaysia?

RM2,265 a month is RM27,180 a year in fixed pay, before any shift, on-call or overtime pay and before the special payments the government announces each year.

How does a government administrative assistant's pay grow with years in service?

On the yearly increment alone, basic pay at grade 1 rises RM100 a year: from RM1,500 to about RM2,000 after 5 years and RM2,500 after 10, before any promotion. Foundific calculation from the Budget 2026 scale.

What is the highest administrative assistant salary in government?

Grade 1 runs from RM1,500 to RM4,680 in basic pay. The highest grade in this guide, 4, has a maximum of RM6,410 a month.

How much does a administrative assistant earn in a private company?

No official source publishes administrative assistant pay outside government.

What is the difference between N1, W1 and L1 administrative assistants?

All three are grade 1 posts on the same scale, RM1,500 to RM4,680, with the same starting pay. N1 covers clerical and operations work, W1 finance and L1 legal work. W1 asks for an SPM credit in mathematics, commerce or principles of accounting.

Where do these figures come from?

Starting pay is from the SPA service scheme pages, the pay scale from the Budget 2026 establishment list, and allowances from the JPA SSPA circular. Private-sector context is from DOSM and Industrial Court awards.

MalaysiaMalaysia salary overviewPay by state, sector and skill MalaysiaPTD officer salary in MalaysiaGovernment grades, starting pay and allowancesRM2,580 starting basic MalaysiaLegal officer salary in MalaysiaGovernment grades, starting pay and allowancesRM2,580 starting basic MalaysiaAuditor salary in MalaysiaGovernment grades, starting pay and allowancesRM2,470 starting basic

Sources

SPA service schemes, Ministry of Finance Budget 2026, JPA SSPA circular, DOSM
  1. Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam, Syarat Permohonan: Pembantu Tadbir Perkeranian Operasi Gred N1.
  2. Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam, Syarat Permohonan: Pembantu Tadbir Kewangan Gred W1 2.
  3. Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam, Syarat Permohonan: Pembantu Tadbir Undang Undang Gred L1.
  4. Ministry of Finance, Budget 2026 establishment list, Lampiran A. SSPA minimum-maximum salaries, page A-1.
  5. JPA, Pekeliling Perkhidmatan Bil. 1/2024 (SSPA), Lampiran E: ITP, ITKA and BISH by grade and area.
  6. DOSM, Salaries & Wages Survey Report 2025 and the 2024 report.