By: Retave’s TVET Desk Editor
“This shows that upskilling and professional certification can open doors to more competitive earnings.” Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan said that in July, after his ministry counted 343,836 technical and vocational education and training (TVET) vacancies posted on the MYFutureJobs portal between January and June 2026. The average advertised salary across them was RM3,658 a month.
It’s a useful number, best read alongside the other published reference points, from the legal floor to the top of the range, and alongside the cost of getting certified in the first place.
What the RM3,658 covers
The figure is an average of advertised salaries across every TVET-linked vacancy on the portal over those six months. That takes in entry-level openings and experienced roles alike, and Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Ramanan noted that pay varies with experience, work location, and the professional certifications a worker holds.
It gives a fair picture of what employers are offering across the TVET job market as a whole.
Four reference points
The main published numbers, from lowest to highest:
- RM1,700 a month: Malaysia’s minimum wage, up from RM1,200 until May 2022, according to the Ministry of Finance’s Pre-Budget Statement 2027.
- RM2,500 to RM4,000 a month: the “premium salary” range for TVET graduates agreed by the National TVET Council (Majlis TVET Negara, MTVET) in September 2024. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who chairs the council, said employers had signed agreements to pay above the minimum wage, then RM1,500. Signatories named at the time included Cypark Sdn Bhd, Penang Port Sdn Bhd and Khazanah Nasional Bhd.
- RM3,658 a month: the MYFutureJobs average across all experience levels, January to June 2026.
- Up to RM16,000 a month: the top of TVET-sector pay, as Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Ramanan described it at a convocation in September. He said salaries at the upper end had risen from around RM12,000 when he was first briefed on taking office.
Each figure measures something different: a legal floor, an employer commitment for new graduates, an average of advertised jobs, and a minister’s description of the ceiling. Read together, they mark out the range of TVET pay.
What upskilling costs, and who pays
The other half of the minister’s point is the cost of getting the certification in the first place.
One established route for financing skills training is the Skills Development Fund Corporation (Perbadanan Tabung Pembangunan Kemahiran, PTPK), which lends to trainees. Its published loan terms run from RM2,500 to RM24,000 per trainee, covering course fees, with a RM400 monthly living allowance during training and repayment starting six months after the course ends.
This year, the Ministry of Human Resources (Kementerian Sumber Manusia, KESUMA) has moved to change that model. In July, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Ramanan said the ministry wants to turn RM100 million in PTPK loans into grants. Trainees often have to leave work to study, he explained: “When they are not working, their income is affected, and if at the same time they need to pay fees through loans, it somewhat burdens them.”
A guide for comparing job offers
The Department of Statistics Malaysia’s Graduates Statistics covers diploma and degree holders, including polytechnic diplomas, but doesn’t report Malaysian Skills Certificate (Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia, SKM) holders separately. Until that data exists, the reference points above give the fullest picture available.
For a student comparing job offers, they make a practical guide: find the reference point an offer is closest to, and the certification that would move it up the scale.
Further Reading
- “Employed, but in the right job?” What the 98.5% and 98.8% TVET employability rates tell us
- One in three, and two in three under 25: what DOSM’s latest numbers say about skill-related underemployment
- The 66-occupation list, decoded: what the Malaysia Critical Occupations List (MyCOL) 2024/2025 names, group by group
Sources
- Bernama. (2024, September 23). TVET graduates to earn premium salaries of up to RM4,000 – Ahmad Zahid. https://www.bernama.com/en/general/news.php?id=2343395
- Bernama. (2026, July 2). KESUMA aspires to convert PTPK loans into grants. https://www.bernama.com/en/news.php/?id=2575911
- Bernama. (2026, July 29). 343,836 peluang pekerjaan berkaitan TVET ditawarkan dalam enam bulan: Ramanan. https://www.bernama.com/bm/am/news.php?id=2587706
- Bernama. (2026, September 22). Ramanan hints at good news for TVET graduates in Budget 2027. https://www.bernama.com/en/general/news.php?id=2610311
- Bernama. (2026, September 23). Broader assessment of TVET employability needed – MEF. https://www.bernama.com/en/general/news.php?id=2610784
- Department of Statistics Malaysia. (2025, October 31). Graduates statistics 2024. https://www.dosm.gov.my/uploads/release-content/file_20260401145140.pdf
- Malay Mail. (2026, August 16). Ramanan: PTPK financing may be converted from loans to grants. https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/08/16/ramanan-ptpk-financing-may-be-converted-from-loans-to-grants/231512
- Ministry of Finance Malaysia. (2026, August 18). Pre-Budget Statement 2027. https://mof.gov.my/portal/en/news/press-release/pre-budget-statement-2027
- Perbadanan Tabung Pembangunan Kemahiran. (2020). Pinjaman latihan [Training loan]. https://www.ptpk.gov.my/ms/training-loan
- The Edge Malaysia. (2026, July 29). Rising demand creates 343,836 TVET job opportunities in six months, says Ramanan. https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/812528
