THE story of a Malaysian who shared that he earns five times more working as a cleaner in Singapore than he ever did as a university lecturer here is getting more attention now from netizens.
In an anonymous post on Facebook, the Malaysian said he was a lecturer at a private higher education institution in Malaysia and drew RM1,900 as his last salary despite working at the institution for five years.
“During those five years of working, there were some months I did not have enough money.
“Sometimes, I couldn’t even make it through the middle of the month. My salary remained stagnant while the cost of living kept rising. It was hard to survive,” he shared.
His financial stress was so unbearable that he decided to quit and look for a job in Singapore.
The man claimed that he was offered a basic salary of SGD3,100 (RM10,860) as a cleaner in Singapore and accepted the position to ease his financial burdens.
Commenting on a post on the X platform, netizens are shocked at the reality of the job marketplace in Malaysia and Singapore.
For some, the country could level with other Asean nations, sending domestic maids abroad!
Very soon , Malaysia will be exporting domestic maids and foreign construction workers
— Jack Lee (@Leeshyjye) January 19, 2024
Meanwhile, netizen @azarimy recalled that the pay cheque for lecturers has not improved since the days he became one.
Just to put in context, I started job as a lecturer in IPTA back in 2001 with a salary of RM1,800 (with a degree).
It is shocking that an IPTS pays somebody with the same qualifications only RM1,900 20 years later.— Azari Mat Yasir (@azarimy) January 19, 2024
Moreover, netizen @FSI_RZ seems to confirm that lecturer salaries are indeed very low in Malaysia. – Jan 20, 2023
Yes, my sister is a degree holder, she just had a iv with a local collage in pantai timur, they offer around this amount too. My eldest cousin is also a lecturer, in local collage too, she said that college offers 1700++ with similar qualifications.
— cik suria (@FSI_RZ) January 19, 2024
Main photo credit: Berita Malaysia
