State education executive councillor Aznan Tamin said these students preferred taking up jobs in Singapore, even if they were low-skilled positions, as the pay was lucrative, Utusan Malaysia reported.

He added that the number of Johor students who skipped their SPM this year was lower than last year, but said it was still concerning.

“Our challenge is that Singapore does not make SPM a requirement for them to be employed. Schools need to engage parents and students to emphasise the importance of SPM in ensuring their future,” he was quoted as saying.

Last month, education minister Fadhlina Sidek said the SPM attendance rate for the 2024 cohort had reached 97%, with about 10,000 students skipping the major exam.

More than 300,000 people cross the border to Singapore daily, most of them entering the city-state for work. Many of them take up low-skilled jobs such as housekeeping in hotels.

In February 2024, the statistics department revealed that two-thirds of Malaysians living and working in Singapore earned a gross monthly salary of between S$1,500 and S$3,599.