Information officer salary in Malaysia
What the job is: Public relations professionals plan, develop, implement and evaluate information and communication strategies that create an understanding and a favourable view of businesses and other organizations, their goods and services, and their role in the community. ILO ISCO-08, 2432 Public Relations Professionals
- Information officer (Pegawai Penerangan, S9): RM2,250 basic a month (bachelor's degree in a related field), up to RM2,470 with higher qualifications.
- With fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur: RM3,150 a month at S9.
- Assistant information officer (S5): RM1,650 basic, RM2,460 with allowances.
- Pay scale: grade 9 runs from RM2,250 to RM11,110, rising RM225 a year.
What a new information officer earns
An information officer at S9 starts on RM2,250 basic, plus RM900 in fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur: RM3,150 a month. Higher qualifications start higher.
Grade S9, from the SPA service scheme and the JPA allowance circular. The starting point depends on the qualification.
| Qualification or pay item | Grade S9 | RM a month |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree in a related field | Starting basic | 2,250 |
| Honours degree in a related field, mass communication or social science | Starting basic | 2,470 |
| Fixed allowances, Kawasan A | Housing (ITP) RM300, public service (ITKA) RM300, cost of living (BISH) RM300 | 900 |
| Total fixed pay at the start, bachelor's degree in a related field | Basic plus fixed allowances, Kawasan A | 3,150 |
Sources: SPA scheme page for grade S9; JPA Pekeliling Perkhidmatan 1/2024, Lampiran E. BISH is lower outside Kawasan A. Totals computed by Foundific.
- A year at the starting rate is RM3,150 × 12 = RM37,800.
- The allowances counted here are the fixed ones in the JPA circular. Any allowance tied to a particular post is not included.
How to become an information officer
Information officers enter at S5 and S9, depending on the qualification.
| Entry level | Qualification | Starting basic, RM | With allowances, RM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assistant information officer (Penolong Pegawai Penerangan, S5) | STPM, STAM or matriculation | 1,650 | 2,460 |
| Assistant information officer (Penolong Pegawai Penerangan, S5) | Diploma in a related field | 1,893 | 2,703 |
| Information officer (Pegawai Penerangan, S9) | Bachelor's degree in a related field | 2,250 | 3,150 |
| Information officer (Pegawai Penerangan, S9) | Honours degree in a related field, mass communication or social science | 2,470 | 3,370 |
Source: SPA scheme pages. Allowances from the JPA circular, Kawasan A: S5 RM810, S9 RM900. Totals computed by Foundific.
- Every route needs a credit in Bahasa Melayu at SPM or SVM.
How pay grows on the government scale
Grade 9 pay rises RM225 a year, from RM2,250 up to RM11,110. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Assistant information officer, entry with a diploma | 1,650 | 6,620 | 145 |
| 9 | Information officer, entry with a degree | 2,250 | 11,110 | 225 |
| 10 | Promotion grade | 3,840 | 12,150 | 250 |
| 12 | Promotion grade | 5,530 | 13,540 | 270 |
| 14 | Promotion grade | 6,560 | 15,360 | 320 |
Source: Ministry of Finance, Budget 2026 establishment list, Lampiran A: SSPA salary codes and minimum-maximum salaries (page A-1). Basic salary only.
- With increments alone, at RM225 a year, an officer starting at RM2,250 would need about 39 yearly increments to reach RM11,110.
Pay after 5, 10 and 20 years
Starting at RM2,250 at grade 9, with the RM225 yearly increment and no promotion. The grade maximum, RM11,110, is reached after about 39 years.
| Years in grade | Basic, RM a month | With fixed allowances, RM a month | Fixed pay, RM a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| At the start | 2,250 | 3,150 | 37,800 |
| After 5 years | 3,375 | 4,275 | 51,300 |
| After 10 years | 4,500 | 5,400 | 64,800 |
| After 20 years | 6,750 | 7,650 | 91,800 |
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 information officer's fixed pay, RM3,150, is above the RM2,940 median for Malaysian citizens. The public administration and defence median, RM4,483, covers workers of all grades and years.
| Figure | Source | RM a month |
|---|---|---|
| New information officer, S9, basic plus fixed allowances, Kuala Lumpur | SPA and JPA, 2026 | 3,150 |
| Median salary, public administration and defence | DOSM, 2024 | 4,483 |
| Median salary, all Malaysian citizens | DOSM, 2025 | 2,940 |
| Median salary, employed degree holders of all ages | DOSM, 2024 | 5,724 |
- The industry median covers all employees in the industry, most of them experienced.
- DOSM figures cover all paid employees and all ages. The government figure is one fixed pay point. Use them to show scale only.
- Compare your own pay with this scale, the DOSM figures and court awards in the Malaysia salary comparison.
Information officers outside government
No official source publishes information officer 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 information officers is exact. No official source covers private-sector pay for the job.
| Source | What it gives | Strength |
|---|---|---|
| SPA service schemes S5, S9 | 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 |
- A payslip shows basic plus allowances plus any shift, on-call or overtime pay, so it can be higher than the fixed figures here.
Is information officer work affected by AI?
The International Labour Organization puts public relations professionals in its “Moderate” group 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 speed up a fair share of the work, so the job is likely to change.
- Most exposed taskUndertaking and commissioning public opinion research
- Least exposed taskAttending business, social and other functions
- In numbersAI could do a large part of 1 of its 8 main tasks.
- Not exposed
- Minimal
- Some
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
Scored as ILO group 2432 Public relations professionals. Average task score 0.43, higher than 81% of the 427 jobs the ILO scored.
| Factor | Information officer |
|---|---|
| 1Exposure levelThe ILO's rating for the whole job, from not exposed up to very high. | Moderate |
| 2Average task scoreHow much of each core task generative AI could do, averaged. 0 means none, 1 means nearly all. | 0.43 higher than 81% of jobs |
| 3Tasks AI could do much ofTasks scoring 0.5 or more. These are the parts of the job most likely to change. | 1 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. | Even (0.09) |
| 6Most exposed taskWhere AI tools are likely to show up first. | Undertaking and commissioning public opinion research… 0.58 |
| 7Least exposed taskThe task AI can help with least. | Attending business, social and other functions to promote… 0.33 |
- 0.58Undertaking and commissioning public opinion research, analysing the findings…
- 0.48Advising executives on the public relations implications of their policies…
- 0.48Selecting, appraising and revising material submitted by publicity writers…
- 0.33Attending business, social and other functions to promote the organization
- 0.33Organizing special events, seminars, entertainment, competitions and social…
- 0.34Commissioning and obtaining photographs and other illustrative material
| 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 | |
| Information officer | Moderate | 0.43 | |
| PTD officer | Minimal | 0.42 | |
| Psychologist | Some | 0.39 | |
| Science officer | Minimal | 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 | |
| Environmental health officer | Not exposed | 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 | |
| Veterinarian | Not exposed | 0.14 | |
| Prison officer | Not exposed | 0.14 |
- 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 information officer salary in Malaysia?
A new government information officer starts on RM2,250 basic a month (S9, bachelor's degree in a related field). With fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur the total is RM3,150 a month, in 2026.
What is the information officer salary per year in Malaysia?
RM3,150 a month is RM37,800 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 information officer's pay grow with years in service?
On the yearly increment alone, basic pay at grade 9 rises RM225 a year: from RM2,250 to about RM3,375 after 5 years and RM4,500 after 10, before any promotion. Foundific calculation from the Budget 2026 scale.
What is the highest information officer salary in government?
Grade 9 runs from RM2,250 to RM11,110 in basic pay. Promotion can lead to grade 14, with a maximum basic of RM15,360 a month (Budget 2026).
How much does an information officer earn in a private company?
No official source publishes information officer pay outside government.
What is the difference between S5 and S9 for information officers?
S5 (assistant information officer) is the diploma entry and starts at RM1,893 basic. S9 (information officer) is the degree entry and starts at RM2,250. The S9 scale runs to RM11,110, against RM6,620 at S5.
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: Penolong Pegawai Penerangan Gred S5.
- Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam, Syarat Permohonan: Pegawai Penerangan Gred S9.
- 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.