DOSM's Salaries & Wages Survey reports pay by the industry of the employer. These figures cover Malaysian citizens in paid employment in 2025.
Salary by industry at a glance
RM5,990Highest median, 2025Education
RM1,813Lowest median, 2025Agriculture
RM2,940All industries, 2025Median monthly salary
6.9%Fastest growth a year, 2015 to 2025Health and social work
Source: DOSM, Salaries & Wages Survey Report 2025, publication tables A1, A3, A13 and D2. Malaysian citizens; from 2020 estimated on the basis of the 2020 Census.
- Highest median: education, RM5,990 a month, followed by health and social work at RM4,976 and information and communication at RM4,723.
- Lowest median: agriculture, RM1,813, followed by accommodation and food and other service activities, both RM2,013.
- Biggest rise in 2025: information and communication, and finance and insurance, each up 11.6% on 2024.
- Since 2015: health and social work grew fastest, 6.9% a year.
Median and mean salary by industry, 2025
| Industry (MSIC 2008) | Median, 2025 | Mean, 2025 | Median change, 2024 to 2025 | Median growth a year, 2015 to 2025 | Employees, thousands, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education | RM5,990 | RM6,367 | +4.7% | 4.1% | 952.3 |
| Health and social work | RM4,976 | RM5,262 | +5.9% | 6.9% | 500.0 |
| Information and communication | RM4,723 | RM5,511 | +11.6% | 4.6% | 241.8 |
| Public administration and defence | RM4,625 | RM4,838 | +3.2% | 5.1% | 804.2 |
| Mining and quarrying | RM4,604 | RM6,175 | +3.5% | 2.5% | 80.8 |
| Finance and insurance | RM4,188 | RM4,998 | +11.6% | 3.4% | 419.5 |
| Professional, scientific and technical | RM3,873 | RM5,023 | +5.3% | 4.5% | 356.3 |
| Real estate activities | RM3,785 | RM4,708 | +4.8% | 2.4% | 83.7 |
| Electricity and gas | RM3,727 | RM4,256 | +8.0% | 3.9% | 98.7 |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | RM2,688 | RM3,399 | +1.7% | 5.7% | 43.4 |
| Transportation and storage | RM2,664 | RM3,375 | +3.4% | 3.4% | 542.4 |
| Manufacturing | RM2,663 | RM3,357 | +6.9% | 5.2% | 1965.2 |
| Water, sewerage and waste | RM2,466 | RM3,136 | -1.0% | 3.2% | 77.8 |
| Construction | RM2,270 | RM3,188 | +10.7% | 3.8% | 642.9 |
| Administrative and support services | RM2,151 | RM2,663 | +10.5% | 6.5% | 559.8 |
| Wholesale and retail trade | RM2,063 | RM2,739 | +6.0% | 4.0% | 1760.9 |
| Accommodation and food | RM2,013 | RM2,527 | +5.3% | 6.2% | 804.1 |
| Other service activities | RM2,013 | RM2,536 | +3.4% | 3.0% | 175.9 |
| Agriculture | RM1,813 | RM2,575 | +6.8% | 4.8% | 270.4 |
| All industries | RM2,940 | RM3,803 | +5.3% | 4.2% | 10381.6 |
Monthly salaries and wages of Malaysian citizen employees, by the industry of the employer. Source: DOSM, Salaries & Wages Survey Report 2025, publication tables A1, A3, A13 and D2. Malaysian citizens; from 2020 estimated on the basis of the 2020 Census.
About these figures
- Industry: the employer's industry under the Malaysia Standard Industrial Classification (MSIC) 2008. A clerk in a bank is counted in finance and insurance.
- Median and mean: half of employees in the industry earn less than the median. The mean is pulled up by high earners, so it is higher in every industry.
- Who is covered: Malaysian citizens in paid employment, all ages and all jobs within each industry.
- Since 2020: DOSM estimates the figures on the basis of the 2020 Census, so growth across 2020 mixes real change with the change of method.
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Sources
DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey Report 2025, publication table A13
- DOSM, Salaries & Wages Survey Report 2025 Publication table A13: recipients, median and mean monthly salaries and wages by industry, 2010 to 2025. Malaysian citizens; industries by MSIC 2008.