PUTRAJAYA, Feb 19 (Bernama) — Most Malaysians in Singapore and Brunei are part of the skilled or semi-skilled workforce, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
Its chief statistician Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said 39 per cent of the diaspora working in Singapore are skilled workers and 35 per cent are semi-skilled workers, while in Brunei, 68 per cent of the working diaspora are skilled workers and 24.1 per cent are semi-skilled workers.
He said the findings were obtained through the Malaysian Diaspora Study in Brunei last year and the Social Security Protection for Malaysian Citizens Working Abroad: Singapore study in 2022 in collaboration with the Malaysia’s Social Security Organisation.
Both studies aimed at profiling the Malaysian diaspora in Brunei and Singapore, focusing on citizens working in those countries, he said, adding that they also cover the tendencies of Malaysians working abroad, especially regarding their social protection needs.
“For monthly gross salary, it was found that 66.7 per cent of respondents working in Singapore receive salaries ranging from SG$1,500 to SG$3,599 (US$1,115 to US$2,675) and 18.5 per cent get salaries between SG$3,600 and SG$9,999 (US$2,676 and US$7,434)
“Meanwhile, for those working in Brunei, 41.3 per cent of the respondents receive monthly gross salaries between BN$1,000 and BN$3,000 (US$743 and US$2,230) and 43.5 per cent receive between BN$3,001 and BN$10,000 (US$2,231 and US$7,434),” he said at an event here, Monday.
He said the highest monthly gross salary recorded in Singapore in Brunei is SG$18,000 (US$13,382) and BN$15,000 (US$11,152).
According to Mohd Uzir, Malaysians choose to work in both countries because of the job opportunities and suitable working environments, higher salaries, and the high exchange rates of the Singapore Dollar and Brunei Dollar (SG$1=RM3.55, BN$1=RM3.56), among other things.
In terms of demographics, he said the 2022 findings noted that 38 per cent of the Malaysian diaspora in Singapore are part of the workforce, while 62 per cent are in the country for conducting business, undergoing training and research, education, or marriage.
He said the 2023 findings showed that 50 per cent of the Malaysian diaspora in Brunei are workers, while the remainder is in the country due to marriage with Bruneians or family matters.
“However, there is one significant finding involving the similarity of Malaysians in Singapore and Brunei, which is they are there to conduct business,” he added.
— BERNAMA
