Implementation of Minimum Wages Policies in Malysia

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In Malaysia, in the private sectors, the wages of an employee had always been a matter of consensus between an employer and an employee depending on the elasticity of demand and supply in the labor market. It is not subjected to any government or legislative intervention, thought de facto minimum wage may exist as a result of custom and extra-legal pressure from unions. This matter which may be agrees upon between employer and the employee. However, the Parliament had recently passed new laws to impose the minimum wages of an employee. Background to Minimum Wages in Malaysia The National Minimum Wages initiative for Malaysia was announced by the Prime Minister in his Budget Speech on 15 October 2010. It is one of the Government’s policy instruments vide New Economic Model (NEM) to ensure inclusiveness by transforming the economy from a middle-income to a high-income economy by the year 2020. The policy is meant to ensure workers can meet their basic needs and create the necessary environment for industries to move up their value chain. Minimum wage is defined as the lowest amount that employers can legally pay their workers per hour of labor. Minimum wages is basic wages, excluding any allowances or other payments. The Minimum Wages Policy also applies to employees who are paid on piece-rates, tonnage, trip- or commission-based. Employers are required to supplement the wages of these employees if their income does not meet RM900 per month for Peninsular Malaysia and RM800 for Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan. On 29 September 2011, the National Wages Consultative Council Act 2011 came into force. The main purpose of the Act is to establish a National Wages Consultative Council which has the responsibility to cond... ... middle of paper ... ...ony" model of the labor market is sometimes referred to as a "frictions model"80 because these models take seriously the idea that workers and employers must contend with important deviations from the smooth functioning of the standard, perfectly competitive model. Perhaps the most important frictions in the low-wage labor market involve the high rate of turnover (which is assumed to be zero in the standard competitive model). Because many low-wage workers are constrained by scheduling responsibilities (child care, for example), transportation limitations (lack of a reliable car or inadequate public transportation), and only partial information about available vacancies in their local labor market, employers paying the "going wage" often face significant recruitment costs in the form of unfilled vacancies, rapid turnover, and related screening and training expenses.

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