The government will consider other options or models if the national minimum wage proposal is not feasible, said Human Resources Minister S Subramaniam.

However, he stressed that the bottom line was to ensure an adequate or reasonable salary structure for the Malaysian workforce.

"I agree that wages (for Malaysian workers) are low. Whether it is going to be a national minimum wage or other models, we are working on an adequate salary structure," he said when asked on what the government was doing to address the low wage among local workers.

Speaking to reporters after launching a management game organised by the Malaysian Institute of Management in Kuala Lumpur, Subramaniam said his ministry was still deliberating on the national minimum wage proposal.

He said feedback from the relevant parties, including trade unions and employers federation as well as from members of the public were still being sought, especially through a blog created by his ministry.

The minister said the government was also adopting other measures including 're-skilling' the almost 65 percent of the local workforce who only possessed the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia qualifications.

"We will increase their skills through trainings so that their salary would be increased along with an increased productivity," he said.

Subramaniam also said it was difficult to woo local workers in certain sectors like plantations, and there would be a need to allow foreign workers to be employed.

He also said that by international standard, Malaysia had achieved almost full employment rate based on the unemployment figure of between 3.4 percent and 3.5 percent now or about 350,000 to 400,000 people.

On the salary hike for security guards, he said there was no change in the government’s decision to increase their salary by more than 70 percent.

However, the ministry was still studying the proposal submitted by the various associations representing the security guards requesting for a postponement on the implementation date of the new salary structure.

Subramaniam had announced last April 22 that the new salary structure would be implemented on July 1 this year.

- Bernama