KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 14 — Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said yesterday he will push for the minimum wage to be increased following the release of a crucial survey that found most educated youths to be severely underpaid.

The Muar MP in a series of tweets said he was alarmed by the Khazanah Research Institute’s survey findings, and warned that the salary conundrum could drive talent out of the country.

"We must improve the minimum wage for youths,” the minister tweeted.

"Based on the survey youths are not choosy, and their pay should reflect the cost of living today,” he added.

The KRI school to work transition survey (SWTS) gathered crucial insights into the state of employment among youths today, with data pointing to a highly skewed labour market rife with problems and structural weaknesses.

Among the key findings in the survey were of evident skills and qualification mismatches in the workplace, where 95 per cent of youths with qualifications found to be in low-skilled jobs and a half more performing semi-skilled non-manual work.

The minister said he will raise the report in the next Cabinet meeting, but did not elaborate if this would entail an immediate review of the current minimum wage.

Information gathered from the SWTS also point to a need to address structural weaknesses, which requires radical and holistic policies that go beyond the issue of adequate pay. The minister did not touch on this.

The Pakatan Harapan administration had set the present minimum wage at RM1,100, RM400 less than what it promised before it wrested federal power in May.

"I will raise this in the Cabinet meeting so it can be fine-tuned for the relevant ministry to take the necessary action,” the minister tweeted.

At the same time, the Muar MP also called for "strong pressure” on employers to increase salaries, citing data that showed Malaysian youths’ willingness to take up "3D” jobs if adequately compensated.

"There must be strong pressure for them to increase pay, they don’t mind working 3D jobs if the pay is fair,” he tweeted.

3D jobs refer to dangerous, dirty and demeaning work. In Malaysia, they are mostly taken up by migrant workers because employers claimed locals refuse them. 

But the KRI survey found the allegation to be unfounded, noting that there are a large number of Malaysians who work in 3D jobs in Singapore. 

Many respondents said they were willing to work in the sector with commensurate pay.