LETTER: The latest Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) figures show the median monthly wage of formal sector employees stood at RM3,027 in March 2026.
About 25.9 per cent of formal employees were earning below RM2,000 a month and employees aged between 45 and 49 recorded the highest median monthly wage at RM4,100.
While this suggests that earnings tend to be higher among certain experienced age groups, it also raises a question about how much wage progression workers actually experience throughout their careers.
Of course, age alone does not represent experience or skill level, and these figures do not necessarily indicate that wage compression has occurred. We would need more detailed data across occupations, qualifications and years of experience to understand the situation better.
