MTUC president Effendy Abdul Ghani said the low minimum wage of about US$1.07 (RM4.75) per hour is insufficient to cover basic needs such as housing, food and healthcare, causing financial pressure that affects the employees’ happiness and well-being.

He said the imbalance in salary distribution, compared to those received by executives and professionals, caused low- and mid-level employees to feel undervalued and marginalised.

“This wage gap creates a sense of unfairness and dissatisfaction among workers,” Effendy told Harian Metro, when commenting on a report that Malaysia is the second worst country for employee unhappiness out of 60 countries in the Global Work and Life Balance Index.

He said wage increases did not commensurate with the rising cost of living, including house prices, rentals and basic necessities, in major cities such as Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru.

“This adds financial pressure and unhappiness among the workers,” he said.

“Measures that can be taken to address this issue include increasing the minimum wage, reducing the wage gap, and improving social support policies.”

Effendy said the Malaysian Well-being Index showed a stressful work environment, with an average work week of 40.8 hours and limited annual leave.

“This heightens the risk of physical and mental health issues,” he said.

“We believe that action such as increasing annual leave, reducing the workload, and providing mental health support are necessary to enhance the workers’ well-being.

“This would also enable the country to move out of the second worst position globally regarding work-life balance.”