Johor bahru: Premium wages are now being offered to Johor youth, with fresh graduates able to earn salaries of RM4,000 and above, says Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi. He said the development meant young people no longer needed to migrate to neighbouring Singapore or other states such as Kuala Lumpur in search of better livelihoods.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the more competitive salary packages would be aligned with applicants' academic qualifications and technical skill levels. Onn Hafiz stated, 'Fresh graduates can now, God willing, earn RM4,000 and above based on their qualifications. For Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) graduates, depending on the tier, they can earn between RM4,000 and RM5,000 or more. This is among the initiatives we have introduced,' he said while speaking at the Ayuh Johor Mahasiswa programme at Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM).

Onn Hafiz highlighted that the increase in premium wage offerings was driven by initiatives under the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), which has become a key catalyst for the state's economic development. He noted the influx of foreign investors, including a recent RM2 billion investment commitment from a leading United States oil and gas company, would create thousands of high-quality job opportunities in Johor.

To realise this aspiration, he mentioned that the Johor government was the only state administration to implement an integrated collaboration involving all higher education institutions and relevant agencies under the Johor Talent Development Council (JTDC). This strategic initiative brought together key entities such as the Social Security Organisation (PERKESO), TVET institutions, higher education institutions, Industrial Training Institutes (ILP), and HRD Corp to aggressively carry out job-matching efforts.