A person working as Journalist in Malaysia typically earns around 7,650 MYR. Salaries range from 3,830 MYR (lowest) to 11,900 MYR (highest).
This is the average salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Journalist 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 3,830 MYR |
Median 7,080 MYR |
Maximum 11,900 MYR |
Salaries for the position Journalist in Malaysia range from 3,830 MYR (starting salary) to 11,900 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 7,080 MYR, half of the professionals who work as Journalist 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 Journalist in Malaysia earn less than 5,810 MYR, while 75% earn more. Similarly, the chart shows that 75% earn less than 8,070 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 Journalist in Malaysia compared to simply calculating the average. The majority of reported salaries, approximately 65%, fall within the range of 4,470 MYR to 6,240 MYR. About 20% of salaries are below the 4,470 MYR mark, while 10% fall within the range of 6,240 MYR to 7,040 MYR. Only 5% of individuals have salaries exceeding 7,040 MYR.
0 - 2 Years | 4,590 MYR | |
2 - 5 Years | +32% | 6,070 MYR |
5 - 10 Years | +34% | 8,120 MYR |
10 - 15 Years | +19% | 9,690 MYR |
15 - 20 Years | +8% | 10,500 MYR |
20+ Years | +7% | 11,200 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 Journalist and this is what we found.
Employees with less than two years of experience earn approximately 4,590 MYR.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 6,070 MYR, 32% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 8,120 MYR, 34% 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 9,690 MYR, 19% 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 10,500 MYR, 8% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 11,200 MYR, 7% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
High School | 5,750 MYR | |
Certificate or Diploma | +14% | 6,560 MYR |
Bachelor's Degree | +36% | 8,890 MYR |
Master's Degree | +26% | 11,200 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 Journalist in order to make a comparison.
Employees at this education level have an average salary of 5,750 MYR.
At this level, the average salary becomes 6,560 MYR, 14% more than the previous level.
At this level, the average salary becomes 8,890 MYR, 36% more than the previous level.
At this level, the average salary becomes 11,200 MYR, 26% 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 Journalist in Malaysia, the average difference between the salary of male and female employees is 5%.
Male | 7,840 MYR | |
Female | -5% | 7,430 MYR |
Individuals working as Journalist in Malaysia are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 13% every 17 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.
45% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 55% 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 | 55% | |
No Bonus | 45% |
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 Journalist in Malaysia is 22 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 |
Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment | -100% | |
3D Artist | 5,970 MYR | -22% |
3D Designer | 5,720 MYR | -25% |
3D Generalist | 4,950 MYR | -35% |
3D Visualization Specialist | 5,700 MYR | -25% |
Acrobatic Rigger | 3,800 MYR | -50% |
Actor | 8,320 MYR | +9% |
Art Administrator | 6,400 MYR | -16% |
Art Director | 7,680 MYR | +0% |
Art Lead | 7,900 MYR | +3% |
Artificial Intelligence Generated Art Creator | 5,590 MYR | -27% |
Associate Media Director | 6,750 MYR | -12% |
Associate Producer | 8,420 MYR | +10% |
Broadcast and Sound Engineer | 5,410 MYR | -29% |
Broadcast Associate | 4,180 MYR | -45% |
Broadcast News Analyst | 6,080 MYR | -21% |
Broadcast Technician | 3,700 MYR | -52% |
Broadcasting Journalist | 7,130 MYR | -7% |
Broadcasting Presenter | 7,990 MYR | +4% |
Camera Equipment Repairer | 4,080 MYR | -47% |
Camera Operator | 3,840 MYR | -50% |
Cartoonist / Animator | 5,920 MYR | -23% |
CAS Engineer | 6,630 MYR | -13% |
Censorship Executive | 7,280 MYR | -5% |
Chief Social Media Officer | 10,300 MYR | +35% |
Choreographer | 5,040 MYR | -34% |
Colorist | 3,140 MYR | -59% |
Communications Manager | 8,550 MYR | +12% |
Content Moderator | 5,250 MYR | -31% |
Correspondent | 6,600 MYR | -14% |
Dance Director | 6,220 MYR | -19% |
Dancer | 5,150 MYR | -33% |
Digital Content Manager | 8,960 MYR | +17% |
Digital Music Promoter | 7,650 MYR | = |
Director of Photography | 6,270 MYR | -18% |
Disc Jockey | 3,840 MYR | -50% |
Drone Cinematographer | 6,000 MYR | -22% |
Editorial Assistant | 3,540 MYR | -54% |
Events Manager | 6,110 MYR | -20% |
Graphic Designer | 4,280 MYR | -44% |
Illustrator | 4,790 MYR | -37% |
Industrial Designer | 3,980 MYR | -48% |
Influencer Marketing Manager | 8,200 MYR | +7% |
Influencer Outreach Specialist | 6,590 MYR | -14% |
Instructional Designer | 3,900 MYR | -49% |
Internet Community Manager | 5,490 MYR | -28% |
Internet Radio Producer | 9,490 MYR | +24% |
Journalist | 7,650 MYR | = |
Live Streaming Moderator | 5,150 MYR | -33% |
Live Streaming Producer | 7,960 MYR | +4% |
Live Streaming Specialist | 5,700 MYR | -25% |
Makeup Artist | 4,060 MYR | -47% |
Media Design Manager | 10,900 MYR | +42% |
Media Equipment Operator | 3,330 MYR | -56% |
Media Operations Manager | 8,170 MYR | +7% |
Media Planner | 5,760 MYR | -25% |
Media Producer | 8,060 MYR | +5% |
Media Product Development Manager | 10,200 MYR | +33% |
Media Production Manager | 10,300 MYR | +35% |
Media Program Director | 11,800 MYR | +54% |
Media Relation Executive | 11,200 MYR | +46% |
Media Relations Manager | 10,400 MYR | +36% |
Media Sales Manager | 11,300 MYR | +48% |
Movement and Dance Coordinator | 6,440 MYR | -16% |
Multimedia Coordinator | 4,160 MYR | -46% |
Multimedia Designer | 4,280 MYR | -44% |
Music Consultant | 5,360 MYR | -30% |
Music Producer | 8,610 MYR | +13% |
Musician | 4,690 MYR | -39% |
News Associate | 5,660 MYR | -26% |
News Reporter | 7,710 MYR | +1% |
Online Community Moderator | 5,340 MYR | -30% |
Podcast Advertising Specialist | 6,070 MYR | -21% |
Podcast Producer | 5,950 MYR | -22% |
Post Production Assistant | 3,770 MYR | -51% |
Producer | 9,500 MYR | +24% |
Product Designer | 4,140 MYR | -46% |
Product Planner | 5,620 MYR | -27% |
Production Artist | 5,720 MYR | -25% |
Production Assistant | 3,610 MYR | -53% |
Production Director | 8,580 MYR | +12% |
Production Technician | 3,640 MYR | -52% |
Program Researcher | 6,470 MYR | -15% |
Promotion Coordinator | 5,300 MYR | -31% |
Social Media Compliance Manager | 7,140 MYR | -7% |
Social Media Compliance Officer | 5,700 MYR | -25% |
Sound Engineer | 5,460 MYR | -29% |
Sound Engineering Technician | 3,130 MYR | -59% |
Stage Technician | 3,300 MYR | -57% |
Sub Editor | 3,650 MYR | -52% |
Television Executive Producer | 11,500 MYR | +50% |
Transmission Engineer | 5,570 MYR | -27% |
Video Editor | 4,650 MYR | -39% |
Video Producer | 5,940 MYR | -22% |
Videographer | 5,340 MYR | -30% |
Virtual / Augmented Reality Content Creator | 9,110 MYR | +19% |
Virtual Set Designer | 6,240 MYR | -18% |
Virtual Staging Specialist | 6,630 MYR | -13% |
Visual Designer | 5,780 MYR | -24% |
Visual Effects Artist | 6,340 MYR | -17% |
Voiceover Artist | 5,350 MYR | -30% |
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 7,080 MYR and 8,070 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 Journalist in Malaysia ranges from 3,830 MYR to 5,810 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