Assistant engineer salary in Malaysia
What the job is: Civil engineering technicians perform technical tasks in civil engineering research and in the design, construction, operation, maintenance and repair of buildings and other structures such as water supply and wastewater treatment systems, bridges, roads, dams and airports. ILO ISCO-08, 3112 Civil Engineering Technicians
- Assistant engineer (Penolong Jurutera, JA5): RM1,731 basic a month (engineering certificate), up to RM2,055 with higher qualifications.
- With fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur: RM2,541 a month at JA5.
- Civil engineering draughtsman (JA1): RM1,500 basic, RM2,265 with allowances.
- Pay scale: grade 5 runs from RM1,650 to RM6,620, rising RM145 a year.
What a new assistant engineer earns
An assistant engineer at JA5 starts on RM1,731 basic, plus RM810 in fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur: RM2,541 a month. Higher qualifications start higher.
Grade JA5, from the SPA service scheme and the JPA allowance circular. The starting point depends on the qualification.
| Qualification or pay item | Grade JA5 | RM a month |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering certificate | Starting basic | 1,731 |
| Engineering diploma | Starting basic | 2,055 |
| Fixed allowances, Kawasan A | Housing (ITP) RM300, public service (ITKA) RM160, cost of living (BISH) RM350 | 810 |
| Total fixed pay at the start, engineering certificate | Basic plus fixed allowances, Kawasan A | 2,541 |
Sources: SPA scheme page for grade JA5; JPA Pekeliling Perkhidmatan 1/2024, Lampiran E. BISH is lower outside Kawasan A. Totals computed by Foundific.
- A year at the start: RM2,541 × 12 = RM30,492.
- 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 assistant engineer
Assistant engineers enter at JA1 and JA5, depending on the qualification.
| Entry level | Qualification | Starting basic, RM | With allowances, RM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil engineering draughtsman (Pelukis Pelan, JA1) | SPM with a credit in visual arts, geometric drawing or engineering drawing | 1,500 | 2,265 |
| Civil engineering draughtsman (Pelukis Pelan, JA1) | SPM and SKM level 2 | 1,561 | 2,326 |
| Civil engineering draughtsman (Pelukis Pelan, JA1) | SPM and SKM level 3 | 1,622 | 2,387 |
| Assistant engineer (Penolong Jurutera, JA5) | Engineering certificate | 1,731 | 2,541 |
| Assistant engineer (Penolong Jurutera, JA5) | Engineering diploma | 2,055 | 2,865 |
Source: SPA scheme pages. Allowances from the JPA circular, Kawasan A: JA1 RM765, JA5 RM810. Totals computed by Foundific.
- Bahasa Melayu: every route needs a credit in Bahasa Melayu at SPM or SVM.
How pay grows on the government scale
Grade 5 pay rises RM145 a year, from RM1,650 up to RM6,620. Promotion to a higher grade moves an officer onto a higher range.
Minimum and maximum monthly basic salary for each SSPA grade, 2026.
| Grade | Who | Minimum | Maximum | Yearly increment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Civil engineering draughtsman, entry with SPM | 1,500 | 4,680 | 100 |
| 5 | Assistant engineer, entry with a diploma | 1,650 | 6,620 | 145 |
| 2 | Promotion grade | 2,220 | 5,770 | 115 |
| 3 | Promotion grade | 2,790 | 6,090 | 125 |
| 4 | Promotion grade | 2,930 | 6,410 | 130 |
Source: Ministry of Finance, Budget 2026 establishment list, Lampiran A: SSPA salary codes and minimum-maximum salaries (page A-1). Basic salary only.
- Increments only: at RM145 a year, an officer starting at RM1,731 would need about 34 yearly increments to reach RM6,620.
Pay after 5, 10 and 20 years
Starting at RM1,731 at grade 5, with the RM145 yearly increment and no promotion. The grade maximum, RM6,620, is reached after about 34 years.
| Years in grade | Basic, RM a month | With fixed allowances, RM a month | Fixed pay, RM a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| At the start | 1,731 | 2,541 | 30,492 |
| After 5 years | 2,456 | 3,266 | 39,192 |
| After 10 years | 3,181 | 3,991 | 47,892 |
| After 20 years | 4,631 | 5,441 | 65,292 |
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 assistant engineer's fixed pay, RM2,541, is below the national median of RM2,940. The professional, scientific and technical industry median, RM3,677, covers workers of all grades and years.
| Figure | Source | RM a month |
|---|---|---|
| New assistant engineer, JA5, basic plus fixed allowances, Kuala Lumpur | SPA and JPA, 2026 | 2,541 |
| Median salary, professional, scientific and technical industry | DOSM, 2024 | 3,677 |
| Median salary, all Malaysian citizens | DOSM, 2025 | 2,940 |
| Median salary, employed diploma holders of all ages | DOSM, 2024 | 3,390 |
- 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.
Assistant engineers outside government
No official source publishes assistant engineer 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 assistant engineers is exact. No official source covers private-sector pay for the job.
| Source | What it gives | Strength |
|---|---|---|
| SPA service schemes JA1, JA5 | Starting basic pay by qualification | Strong: official and current |
| Budget 2026, SSPA pay scale | Minimum, maximum and yearly increment for every grade | Strong: official and current |
| JPA SSPA circular, Lampiran E | Fixed allowances by grade and area | Strong: official |
| DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey 2024 and 2025 | Industry and national medians | Weak 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 assistant engineer work affected by AI?
The International Labour Organization rates civil engineering technicians Not exposed 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).
AI can do very little of this job. Most tasks are hands-on or face to face.
- Most exposed taskAssisting with the preparation of detailed estimates of…
- Least exposed taskOrganizing maintenance and repairs
- In numbersNone of its 9 main tasks is one AI could do a large part of.
- Not exposed
- Minimal
- Some
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
Scored as ILO group 3112 Civil engineering technicians. Average task score 0.28, higher than 51% of the 427 jobs the ILO scored.
| Factor | Assistant engineer |
|---|---|
| 1Exposure levelThe ILO's rating for the whole job, from not exposed up to very high. | Not exposed |
| 2Average task scoreHow much of each core task generative AI could do, averaged. 0 means none, 1 means nearly all. | 0.28 higher than 51% of jobs |
| 3Tasks AI could do much ofTasks scoring 0.5 or more. These are the parts of the job most likely to change. | 0 of 9 |
| 4Hands-on or people tasksTasks scoring under 0.25: physical, in-person or judgement work that AI barely touches. | 3 of 9 |
| 5How even the exposure isEven means AI touches most tasks a little. Uneven means a few tasks are exposed and the rest are not. | Even (0.07) |
| 6Most exposed taskWhere AI tools are likely to show up first. | Assisting with the preparation of detailed estimates of… 0.41 |
| 7Least exposed taskThe task AI can help with least. | Organizing maintenance and repairs 0.17 |
- 0.41Assisting with the preparation of detailed estimates of quantities and costs…
- 0.36Providing technical assistance connected with the construction of buildings…
- 0.30Ensuring compliance with design specifications, relevant legislation and…
- 0.17Organizing maintenance and repairs
- 0.20Performing or assisting with field and laboratory tests of soils and…
- 0.24Inspecting industrial plant, hotels, cinemas and other buildings and…
| Job | Exposure | Avg task score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative assistant | Very high | 0.59 | |
| Accountant | High | 0.51 | |
| IT officer | Moderate | 0.49 | |
| Computer technician | Moderate | 0.47 | |
| PTD officer | Minimal | 0.42 | |
| Psychologist | Some | 0.39 | |
| Architect | Minimal | 0.37 | |
| Legal officer | Minimal | 0.36 | |
| Pharmacist | Minimal | 0.33 | |
| Customs officer | Minimal | 0.32 | |
| Engineer | Not exposed | 0.30 | |
| Teacher | Not exposed | 0.30 | |
| Doctor | Not exposed | 0.29 | |
| Agriculture officer | Not exposed | 0.28 | |
| Physiotherapist | Minimal | 0.28 | |
| Assistant engineer | Not exposed | 0.28 | |
| Medical assistant | Not exposed | 0.23 | |
| Radiographer | Not exposed | 0.22 | |
| Nurse | Minimal | 0.22 | |
| Firefighter | Not exposed | 0.18 | |
| Dentist | Not exposed | 0.15 | |
| Prison officer | Not exposed | 0.14 |
- 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.
| Measure | Includes | Excludes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic salary | Gaji pokok on the SSPA scale | Allowances, shift, on-call and overtime pay, special payments |
| Fixed allowances | ITP, BISH, ITKA or ITK, and BIPK as advertised for the post | Shift, on-call and overtime pay |
| DOSM salary | Monthly salaries and wages of paid employees | Self-employed and unpaid family workers |
Questions
What is the assistant engineer salary in Malaysia?
A new government assistant engineer starts on RM1,731 basic a month (JA5, engineering certificate). With fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur the total is RM2,541 a month, in 2026.
What is the assistant engineer salary per year in Malaysia?
RM2,541 a month is RM30,492 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 assistant engineer's pay grow with years in service?
On the yearly increment alone, basic pay at grade 5 rises RM145 a year: from RM1,731 to about RM2,456 after 5 years and RM3,181 after 10, before any promotion. Foundific calculation from the Budget 2026 scale.
What is the highest assistant engineer salary in government?
Grade 5 runs from RM1,650 to RM6,620 in basic pay. The highest grade in this guide, 5, has a maximum of RM6,620 a month.
How much does a assistant engineer earn in a private company?
No official source publishes assistant engineer pay outside government.
What is the difference between JA1 and JA5 for assistant engineers?
JA1 (civil engineering draughtsman) is the SPM entry and starts at RM1,500 basic. JA5 (assistant engineer) is the diploma entry and starts at RM1,731. The JA5 scale runs to RM6,620, against RM4,680 at JA1.
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.
Related guides
Sources
SPA service schemes, Ministry of Finance Budget 2026, JPA SSPA circular, DOSM
- Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam, Syarat Permohonan: Pelukis Pelan Kejuruteraan Awam Penolong Jurutera Gred Ja5.
- Ministry of Finance, Budget 2026 establishment list, Lampiran A. SSPA minimum-maximum salaries, page A-1.
- JPA, Pekeliling Perkhidmatan Bil. 1/2024 (SSPA), Lampiran E: ITP, ITKA and BISH by grade and area.
- DOSM, Salaries & Wages Survey Report 2025 and the 2024 report.