A person working as Biotechnologist in Malaysia typically earns around 8,790 MYR. Salaries range from 4,480 MYR (lowest) to 13,500 MYR (highest).
This is the average salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Biotechnologist salaries in Malaysia vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Minimum Salary 4,480 MYR |
Median 8,060 MYR |
Maximum 13,500 MYR |
Salaries for the position Biotechnologist in Malaysia range from 4,480 MYR (starting salary) to 13,500 MYR (maximum salary). It should be noted that the given figure is not the legally mandated minimum wage; rather, it represents the lowest figure reported in a salary survey that included thousands of participants and professionals from all regions of the country.
With a median salary of 8,060 MYR, half of the professionals who work as Biotechnologist in Malaysia earn less than this amount, and the other half earn more. The median salary denotes the middle value of salaries. Ideally, you would want to belong to the group earning more than the median salary, located on the right side of the salary distribution graph.
The median is closely associated with two other values known as the 25th and 75th percentiles. By examining the salary distribution chart, it can be determined that 25% of professionals employed as Biotechnologist in Malaysia earn less than 6,650 MYR, while 75% earn more. Similarly, the chart shows that 75% earn less than 9,170 MYR while 25% earn more.
To provide a better understanding of expected salaries, we categorized the frequently occurring salaries into different ranges. This approach provides a more precise representation of salary distribution for the job title Biotechnologist in Malaysia compared to simply calculating the average. The majority of reported salaries, approximately 65%, fall within the range of 5,150 MYR to 7,120 MYR. About 20% of salaries are below the 5,150 MYR mark, while 10% fall within the range of 7,120 MYR to 8,020 MYR. Only 5% of individuals have salaries exceeding 8,020 MYR.
0 - 2 Years | 5,020 MYR | |
2 - 5 Years | +31% | 6,560 MYR |
5 - 10 Years | +40% | 9,190 MYR |
10 - 15 Years | +20% | 11,000 MYR |
15 - 20 Years | +9% | 12,000 MYR |
20+ Years | +8% | 12,900 MYR |
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally, the more years of experience the higher the wage. We broke down salaries by experience level for people working as Biotechnologist and this is what we found.
Employees with less than two years of experience earn approximately 5,020 MYR.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 6,560 MYR, 31% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 9,190 MYR, 40% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, professionals whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 11,000 MYR, 20% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.
If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 12,000 MYR, 9% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 12,900 MYR, 8% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
Bachelor's Degree | 5,930 MYR | |
Master's Degree | +49% | 8,830 MYR |
PhD | +45% | 12,800 MYR |
We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down salaries by education level for the position Biotechnologist in order to make a comparison.
Employees at this education level have an average salary of 5,930 MYR.
At this level, the average salary becomes 8,830 MYR, 49% more than the previous level.
At this level, the average salary becomes 12,800 MYR, 45% more than the previous level.
A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in Malaysia costs anywhere from 33,100 MYR to 99,200 MYR and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment.
You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained.
Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch to a higher-paying job. The numbers seem to support the theory. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.
If you can afford the costs of higher education, the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? For the people who work as Biotechnologist in Malaysia, the average difference between the salary of male and female employees is 11%.
Male | 9,270 MYR | |
Female | -10% | 8,340 MYR |
Individuals working as Biotechnologist in Malaysia are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 12% every 18 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 9% granted to employees every 17 months.
The term Annual Salary Increase usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rare that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one-year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 / Increase Frequency
Not all compensation increases are reflected directly in the salary. Some companies offer upgraded packages to their staff instead of cash money. The figures displayed here account only for direct increments to the base salary.
46% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 54% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 3% to 6% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 54% | |
No Bonus | 46% |
The most standard form of bonus, where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
The main two types of jobs | |
Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually, jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fixed amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
The minimum pay rate per hour for people working as Biotechnologist in Malaysia is 26 MYR. This is the minimum as per the gathered data in the salary survey not the minimum hourly rate mandated by law.
Job Title | Average Salary |
Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology | -100% | |
Assistant Pharmacist | 5,500 MYR | -37% |
Assistant Pharmacy Director | 10,300 MYR | +17% |
Associate Medical Affairs Director | 14,900 MYR | +70% |
Bioethics Specialist | 8,080 MYR | -8% |
Biofabrication Specialist | 8,530 MYR | -3% |
Bioinformatics Scientist | 12,600 MYR | +43% |
Bioinformatics Technician | 6,000 MYR | -32% |
Biological Scientist | 14,400 MYR | +64% |
Biological Technician | 5,760 MYR | -34% |
Biomanufacturing Technician | 7,000 MYR | -20% |
Biomarker Scientist | 9,790 MYR | +11% |
Biomedical Electronics Technician | 5,280 MYR | -40% |
Biomedical Engineer | 5,720 MYR | -35% |
Biomedical Engineering Director | 11,400 MYR | +30% |
Bioprocess Engineer | 6,570 MYR | -25% |
Biostatistician | 8,630 MYR | -2% |
Biotechnologist | 8,790 MYR | +0% |
Biotechnology Lead Data Manager | 6,990 MYR | -20% |
Cell Therapy Scientist | 11,600 MYR | +32% |
Chemical Process Technician | 5,940 MYR | -32% |
Clinical Consultant | 8,840 MYR | +1% |
Clinical Data Manager | 8,650 MYR | -2% |
Clinical Data Specialist | 8,190 MYR | -7% |
Clinical Informatics Specialist | 6,380 MYR | -27% |
Clinical Operations Manager | 13,000 MYR | +48% |
Clinical Pharmacist | 8,160 MYR | -7% |
Clinical Pharmacy Specialist | 10,400 MYR | +18% |
Clinical Programmer | 4,500 MYR | -49% |
Clinical Project Manager | 8,190 MYR | -7% |
Clinical Research Associate | 7,480 MYR | -15% |
Clinical Research Manager | 11,800 MYR | +34% |
Clinical Study Manager | 10,700 MYR | +22% |
Clinical Trials Compliance Officer | 14,400 MYR | +64% |
Compliance Specialist | 8,730 MYR | -1% |
Computational Chemist | 10,600 MYR | +21% |
Cytology Laboratory Technologist | 6,860 MYR | -22% |
Cytotechnologist | 7,070 MYR | -20% |
Digital Biomarker Developer | 9,050 MYR | +3% |
Digital Health Specialist | 8,030 MYR | -9% |
Drug Safety Specialist | 9,600 MYR | +9% |
GCP Auditor | 7,430 MYR | -15% |
Gene Editing Compliance Officer | 10,900 MYR | +24% |
Gene Editing Specialist | 9,050 MYR | +3% |
Gene Therapy Researcher | 8,920 MYR | +2% |
Hospital Pharmacy Technician | 6,310 MYR | -28% |
Manufacturing Engineer | 7,110 MYR | -19% |
Medical 3D Printing Specialist | 7,280 MYR | -17% |
Medical Affairs Director | 13,500 MYR | +54% |
Medical Device Compliance Specialist | 8,150 MYR | -7% |
Medical Device Data Analyst | 8,000 MYR | -9% |
Medical Device Designer | 8,030 MYR | -9% |
Medical Representative | 5,570 MYR | -37% |
Medical Science Liaison | 9,700 MYR | +10% |
Medical Technology Writer | 6,430 MYR | -27% |
Molecular and Cellular Biologist | 14,600 MYR | +66% |
Nuclear Pharmacist | 8,990 MYR | +2% |
Pharmaceutical Compliance Auditor | 11,800 MYR | +34% |
Pharmaceutical Manager | 14,600 MYR | +66% |
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Lead | 15,400 MYR | +75% |
Pharmaceutical Operations Excellence Manager | 14,400 MYR | +64% |
Pharmaceutical Process Engineer | 8,010 MYR | -9% |
Pharmaceutical Production Assistant Manager | 9,500 MYR | +8% |
Pharmaceutical Project Manager | 9,180 MYR | +4% |
Pharmaceutical Quality Auditor | 9,410 MYR | +7% |
Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs Assistant | 6,890 MYR | -22% |
Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs Manager | 9,700 MYR | +10% |
Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs Specialist | 7,650 MYR | -13% |
Pharmaceutical Representative | 5,860 MYR | -33% |
Pharmaceutical Research Associate | 8,790 MYR | +0% |
Pharmaceutical Research Scientist | 13,000 MYR | +48% |
Pharmaceutical Researcher | 12,600 MYR | +43% |
Pharmaceutical Sales and Marketing Manager | 10,500 MYR | +19% |
Pharmaceutical Sales Manager | 12,000 MYR | +37% |
Pharmaceutical Sales Representative | 6,030 MYR | -31% |
Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Manager | 12,900 MYR | +47% |
Pharmaceutical Team Leader | 9,500 MYR | +8% |
Pharmaceutical Technologist | 6,810 MYR | -22% |
Pharmacist | 8,840 MYR | +1% |
Pharmacogenomics Expert | 9,900 MYR | +13% |
Pharmacovigilance Analyst | 10,000 MYR | +14% |
Pharmacy Aide | 5,670 MYR | -35% |
Pharmacy Manager | 11,600 MYR | +32% |
Pharmacy Stock Controller | 5,080 MYR | -42% |
Pharmacy Technician | 5,150 MYR | -41% |
Precision Medicine Compliance Analyst | 9,890 MYR | +13% |
Precision Medicine Specialist | 8,640 MYR | -2% |
Records Management Coordinator | 4,760 MYR | -46% |
Shift Encapsulator | 4,960 MYR | -44% |
Staff Pharmacist | 8,670 MYR | -1% |
Synthetic Biologist | 10,700 MYR | +22% |
Telepharmacy Technician | 5,200 MYR | -41% |
Where can you get paid more, working in a private company or the government? The difference between the public or government sector salaries and the private sector salaries in Malaysia is 9% on average across all career fields.
Private Sector | 6,340 MYR | |
Public Sector | +9% | 6,900 MYR |
A good and competitive compensation would range anywhere between 8,060 MYR and 9,170 MYR. This is a very rough estimate. Experience and education play a very huge part in the final earnings.
All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.
The base salary for a careers like Biotechnologist in Malaysia ranges from 4,480 MYR to 6,650 MYR. The base salary depends on many factors including experience and education. It is not easy to provide a figure with very little information, so take this range with a grain of salt.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people earn more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary