FoundificMY
SGMY

Landscape architect salary in Malaysia

Gaji Arkitek LandskapGaji Penolong Arkitek Landskap

What the public service pays new landscape architects 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 30 Oct 2026
Government pay scaleBasic pay range / month
Entry, certificate or diplomaAssistant landscape architect, JA5RM1,650–6,620Entry, degreeLandscape architect, J9RM2,250–11,110PromotionGrade 10RM3,840–12,150SeniorGrade 12RM5,530–13,540SeniorGrade 14RM6,560–15,360
Minimum to maximum basicScale RM0 to RM16kSSPA pay scale, Budget 2026
Starting basicRM2,690RM32,280 a yearJ9, bachelor's degree in landscape architectureSee the pay breakdown →With allowancesRM3,590RM43,080 a yearBasic plus RM900 fixed allowances, Kuala LumpurSee the pay breakdown →With a diplomaRM2,055RM24,660 a yearJA5, RM2,865 with allowances, Kuala LumpurSee every entry level →Top of grade 9RM11,110RM133,320 a yearMaximum basic at J9See the pay scale →
At a glance

Landscape architect salary in Malaysia

What the job is: Landscape architects plan and design landscapes and open spaces for projects such as, parks, schools, institutions, roads, external areas for commercial, industrial and residential sites, and plan and monitor their construction, maintenance and rehabilitation. ILO ISCO-08, 2162 Landscape Architects

  • Landscape architect (Arkitek Landskap, J9): RM2,690 basic a month (bachelor's degree in landscape architecture).
  • With fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur: RM3,590 a month at J9.
  • Assistant landscape architect (JA5): RM1,731 basic on the lowest-paid route, RM2,541 with allowances in Kuala Lumpur.
  • Pay scale: grade 9 runs from RM2,250 to RM11,110, rising RM225 a year.

What a new landscape architect earns

A landscape architect at J9 starts on RM2,690 basic, plus RM900 in fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur: RM3,590 a month.

Grade J9, from the SPA service scheme and the JPA allowance circular.

Qualification or pay itemGrade J9RM a month
Bachelor's degree in landscape architectureStarting basic2,690
Fixed allowances, Kawasan AHousing (ITP) RM300, public service (ITKA) RM300, cost of living (BISH) RM300900
Total fixed pay at the start, bachelor's degree in landscape architectureBasic plus fixed allowances, Kawasan A3,590

Sources: SPA scheme page for grade J9; 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: RM3,590 × 12 = RM43,080.
  • Allowances counted here are the fixed ones in the JPA circular. Any allowance tied to a particular post is not included.
  • The SPA page lists the J9 duties as designing development works, public parks and landscapes, and giving input to structure plans and to guideline and planning papers.
  • Route to landscape architect (J9): serving assistant landscape architects may be considered for appointment at J9 when a post is vacant, after confirmation in service, if they have the J9 degree.
  • The officer must also be under 54 if the retirement age is 55 or 56, under 56 if 58, or under 58 if 60, on the appointment date. The JA5 page lists only assistants with outstanding performance (prestasi yang cemerlang).
  • One JA5 certificate route is listed on the SPA page for use in local authorities.

How to become a landscape architect

Assistant landscape architects enter at JA5 and landscape architects at J9, depending on the qualification.

Entry levelQualificationStarting basic, RMWith allowances, RM
Assistant landscape architect (Penolong Arkitek Landskap, JA5)Technology certificate in landscape (qualification listed for local authorities)1,7312,541
Assistant landscape architect (Penolong Arkitek Landskap, JA5)Certificate in architecture, certificate in town planning, or civil engineering (architecture)1,7312,541
Assistant landscape architect (Penolong Arkitek Landskap, JA5)Diploma in landscape architecture2,0552,865
Landscape architect (Arkitek Landskap, J9)Bachelor's degree in landscape architecture2,6903,590

Source: SPA scheme pages. Allowances from the JPA circular, Kawasan A: JA5 RM810, J9 RM900. Totals computed by Foundific.

What it means
  • Each qualification must be recognised by the Government, or be an equivalent recognised qualification.
  • Bahasa Melayu: entry needs a credit (at least grade C) in Bahasa Melayu at SPM or SVM, or an equivalent qualification recognised by the Government.

How pay grows on the government scale

Grade 9 pay rises RM225 a year, from RM2,250 up to RM11,110. Higher grades in the same scheme have higher ranges. Promotion needs a vacancy and the conditions set in the scheme.

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

GradeWhoMinimumMaximumYearly increment
5Assistant landscape architect, entry with a certificate or diploma1,6506,620145
9Landscape architect, entry with a degree2,25011,110225
10Promotion grade3,84012,150250
12Promotion grade5,53013,540270
14Promotion grade6,56015,360320

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
  • The yearly increment at grade 9 is RM225, up to the maximum of RM11,110.

Pay after 5, 10 and 20 years

Starting at RM2,690 at grade 9, with the RM225 yearly increment and no promotion. The grade maximum, RM11,110, is reached after about 37 years.

Years in gradeBasic, RM a monthWith fixed allowances, RM a monthFixed pay, RM a year
At the start2,6903,59043,080
After 5 years3,8154,71556,580
After 10 years4,9405,84070,080
After 20 years7,1908,09097,080

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 landscape architect's fixed pay, RM3,590, is above the RM2,940 median for Malaysian citizens and below the professional, scientific and technical industry median, RM3,677. Both medians cover all employees in their group.

FigureSourceRM a month
New landscape architect, J9, basic plus fixed allowances, Kuala LumpurSPA and JPA, 20263,590
Median salary, professional, scientific and technical industryDOSM, 20243,677
Median salary, all Malaysian citizensDOSM, 20252,940
Median salary, employed degree holders of all agesDOSM, 20245,724
  • Industry median covers all employees in the industry.
  • 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.

Landscape architects outside government

The data used here does not cover landscape architect pay outside government.

  • DOSM publishes salaries by industry, occupation group and skill level.
  • Pay outside government for this job is not in these sources, so no figure is given.

Data sources and coverage

Starting basic pay and the pay scale for landscape architects come from the SPA and the Budget 2026 establishment list. The data used here does not cover private-sector pay for the job.

SourceWhat it givesStrength
SPA service schemes JA5, J9Starting 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
  • 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 landscape architect work affected by AI?

The International Labour Organization puts landscape architects in its “Minimal” 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).

Landscape architect
MinimalAI exposure
Not exposedVery high

AI can help with a small part of this job, mostly paperwork.

  • Most exposed taskCompiling and analysing site and community data about…
  • Least exposed taskMonitoring construction or rehabilitation work
  • In numbersNone of its 9 main tasks is one AI could do a large part of.
Landscape architectISCO 2162
Minimalexposure to generative AI
  1. Not exposed
  2. Minimal
  3. Some
  4. Moderate
  5. High
  6. Very high

Scored as ILO group 2162 Landscape architects. Average task score 0.37, higher than 70% of the 427 jobs the ILO scored.

Seven factors
FactorLandscape architect
1Exposure levelMinimal
2Average task score0.37 higher than 70% of jobs
3Tasks AI could do much of0 of 9
4Hands-on or people tasks1 of 9
5How even the exposure isEven (0.07)
6Most exposed taskCompiling and analysing site and community data about… 0.47
7Least exposed taskMonitoring construction or rehabilitation work to ensure… 0.22
Most and least exposed tasks
Landscape architect
Most exposed tasks
  • 0.47Compiling and analysing site and community data about geographical and…
  • 0.44Writing specifications and contract documents for use by builders and civil…
  • 0.42Preparing reports, strategic plans, site plans, working drawings…
Least exposed tasks
  • 0.22Monitoring construction or rehabilitation work to ensure compliance with…
  • 0.27Inspecting sites and consulting clients, management and other stakeholders to…
  • 0.36Developing new or improved theories and methods and providing advice on…

What each factor means · How this job compares with the other salary guides

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
  • 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 landscape architect salary in Malaysia?

A new government landscape architect starts on RM2,690 basic a month (J9, bachelor's degree in landscape architecture). With fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur the total is RM3,590 a month, in 2026.

What is the landscape architect salary per year in Malaysia?

RM3,590 a month is RM43,080 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 landscape architect's pay grow with years in service?

On the yearly increment alone, basic pay at grade 9 rises RM225 a year: from RM2,690 to about RM3,815 after 5 years and RM4,940 after 10, before any promotion. Foundific calculation from the Budget 2026 scale.

What is the highest landscape architect 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 a landscape architect earn in a private company?

The data used here does not cover landscape architect pay outside government.

What is the difference between JA5 and J9 for landscape architects?

JA5 (assistant landscape architect) is the certificate or diploma entry and starts at RM1,731 basic, or RM2,055 with a diploma. J9 (landscape architect) is the degree entry and starts at RM2,690. The J9 scale runs to RM11,110, against RM6,620 at JA5.

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 MalaysiaArchitect salary in MalaysiaGovernment grades, starting pay and allowancesRM2,910 starting basic MalaysiaTown planner salary in MalaysiaGovernment grades, starting pay and allowancesRM2,690 starting basic MalaysiaEngineer salary in MalaysiaGovernment grades, starting pay and allowancesRM2,690 starting basic

Sources

SPA service schemes, Ministry of Finance Budget 2026, JPA SSPA circular, DOSM
  1. Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam, Syarat Permohonan: Penolong Arkitek Landskap Gred Ja5.
  2. Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam, Syarat Permohonan: Arkitek Landskap Gred J9.
  3. Ministry of Finance, Budget 2026 establishment list, Lampiran A. SSPA minimum-maximum salaries, page A-1.
  4. JPA, Pekeliling Perkhidmatan Bil. 1/2024 (SSPA), Lampiran E: ITP, ITKA, BISH and BIPK by grade and area.
  5. DOSM, Salaries & Wages Survey Report 2025 and the 2024 report.
  6. DOSM, Graduates Statistics 2024: median salary of degree holders.