PUTRAJAYA: Most Malaysians in Singapore and Brunei are part of the skilled or semi-skilled workforce, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
Chief Statistician Datuk Seri 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 Social Security Organisation (Perkeso).
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 SGD1,500 (RM5,300) to SGD3,599 (RM12,800), and 18.5 per cent get salaries between SGD3,600 (RM12,800) and SGD9,999 (RM35,600).
"Meanwhile, for those working in Brunei, 41.3 per cent of the respondents receive monthly gross salaries between BND1,000 (RM3,500) and BND3,000 (RM10,700), and 43.5 per cent receive between BND3,001 (RM10,700) and BND10,000 (RM35,600)," he said at the launching ceremony of the book on the reports of the Study of Compensation for Child and Youth Actors in Films and Dramas in Peninsular Malaysia and the Study of the Malaysian Diaspora in Brunei Darussalam, here, today (February 19).
He said the highest monthly gross salary recorded in Singapore in Brunei is SGD18,000 (RM64,000) and BND15,000 (RM53,000).
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 (SGD1=RM3.55, BND1=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
