Its minister, M Kulasegaran, said this meant that there would be minimum wages for such sectors as plantations, hotels or coffee shops.

He said the matter needed more study before it was brought to the Cabinet for consideration.

Earlier, Kulasegaran held a meeting with members of the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) Sabah chapter.

He said the MEF members told him that employers had to reduce their number of workers and even close shop in some cases as they could not afford the minimum wage.

The minimum wage was previously set at RM920 but was increased to RM1,100 and implemented nationwide on Jan 1 this year.

Kulasegaran said his ministry is also considering amending several labour laws to make them more relevant.

They include the Labour Act, Employment Act, Minimum Housing Standard Act, Trade Unions Act, Occupational Safety and Health Act, Socso Act and Employment Insurance Act.