INTERACTIVE: Too many young healthcare workers earning below RM2,000

PETALING JAYA: The country’s healthcare system is among the best in the world but this is not reflected in the salaries of young people in the field.

While Malaysia, with a score of 95 out of 100, topped the Best Healthcare in the World category of the 2019 International Living Annual Global Retirement Index, there was a “significant rise” in graduates from the health and welfare sector earning a low starting pay of less than RM2,000.

In 2010, 48.5% of graduates earned less than RM2,000 but in just a span of one year, it rose by 7.4 percentage points to hit 55.9% in 2011, a recent Khazanah Research Institute report revealed.

The institute’s Shifting Tides: Charting Career Progression of Malaysia’s Skilled Talents report, published in March, also found that those awaiting job placements are typically highest from the health and welfare field, with the percentage of those accepting jobs they were overqualified for doubling from 2010 to 2021 (15.7% to 30.2%).

The report also noted that nearly a quarter (24.5%) of graduates in the health sector were still waiting for their placements, which is among the highest among all the sectors surveyed. And, about half of these graduates were not working in their field of study. In 2021, less than two-thirds of the graduates were in the health and welfare sector.

“Even with rapid growth in these sectors, the number of jobs may not be able to accommodate the growing pool of skilled talents.

“This is supported by earlier discussions on the high shares of graduates awaiting job placement in these fields.

“There may be a mismatch between the demand for specific healthcare professions against the supply of graduates produced,” the report read.

Malaysian Association for Social Care Professionals and Homes general manager Jeremy Leng said the starting salaries for caregivers at welfare and senior homes in Malaysia is around RM1,800 to RM2,400 per month.

Caregivers, he said, are required to multitask.

“The have to do the laundry, cook, clean, administer medication and even conduct activities for the residents,” he said, adding that the pay here is far below what caregivers make in Japan, where they can make about RM6,500 monthly.

IMU University Industry Partnerships and Engagement dean Prof Chin Beek Yoke said the salaries for jobs in health sciences and healthcare vary depending on the programme and regulatory body.

Diploma holders, she said, are paid a starting salary of less than RM2,000.

“However, it depends on whether the diploma graduates work in private or public sectors, startups, multinationals, or small and medium (enterprises) ones,” she said.

It’s not just that there are more people in the health and welfare sector earning below RM2,000, the percentage of fresh graduates earning more than RM3,000 has been reduced from 30.2% in 2010 to 21% in 2021.

IMU University Academics pro vice-chancellor Prof Winnie Chee said those who can expect to earn in this range are those in professional careers such as pharmacists, degree nurses, dietitians, nutritionists, physiotherapists, clinical psychologists, chiropractors, speech language pathologists, audiologists and health educators or coaches.

Malaysian Pharmacists Society president Prof Amrahi Buang said pharmacists earn upwards of RM2,700 in the public sector.

In the private sector, provisionally registered pharmacists can earn between RM2,500 and RM3,500 and fully registered pharmacists take back between RM3,500 and RM5,500.

“While public sector pharmacists have more benefits, private sector pharmacists have a higher basic salary,” he added.

Although housemen at the UD41 grade make about RM2,500 a month, a rate set by the Public Services Commission, they should be paid “much more”, said Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr Azizan Abdul Aziz.

“For the first three years upon graduation, they are paid RM2,500. It is only in their fourth year of service, when they are already a medical officer, that they will earn more under a higher grade (UD43).

“With over 70% of the population dependent on public healthcare services, our public healthcare workers are overworked and underpaid.

“For their expertise, skill, heavy workload, long hours and high degree of accountability, they should be getting paid much more,” Dr Azizan said.

Malaysian Nurses Association president Dr Aisyahton Suhaimi said fresh graduates with a diploma in nursing earn slightly less than RM2,500 in the public sector, while those in private hospitals might earn slightly more or be entitled to additional benefits and allowances.

Nurses, she said, may feel under-compensated due to understaffing, heavy workloads, and limited resources in healthcare facilities. This, she added, could lead to challenges in retaining experienced nurses and recruiting new talent.

“A shortage of nurses could strain healthcare services, reduce quality of care, and increase workloads for existing staff,” she said, adding that fair remuneration is not just about economic equity.

“It is essential for ensuring the continued effectiveness and sustainability of the healthcare industry in Malaysia and beyond,” she said.

But it is not just about money.

Prof Chee said multinational companies may offer more competitive salaries with allowances, but it is increasingly more difficult to retain talent because of high turnover.

“The younger generation tend to job hop more frequently to seek better salaries, flexible work hours, and a more entrepreneurial type of career,” she added.

Agreeing, Dr Azizan said the country’s healthcare system could also suffer if a graduate’s work environment, work-life-balance and career prospects are not favourable.

A career in healthcare, said Prof Chee, is actually “very rewarding” because it is about compassion and service.

“Students pursuing a healthcare related degree tell me they chose the field because they want to elevate the human condition and alleviate suffering.

“It feels good when you are able to assist someone with a health-related condition to improve their quality of life, be it through medication as a pharmacist; with nutrition advice as a dietitian; by alleviating pain as a chiropractor; by assisting in daily activities of a patient as a nurse; or by helping someone overcome depression as a psychologist – the feeling is worth more than monetary,” said Prof Chee.

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