A survey found about 90% of the Malaysian workforce unable to cope with the additional expenses incurred after the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
The survey was conducted by Jobstreet.com, a career resources site.
According to Jobstreet, 24% of the survey respondents were already facing problems with their expenses even before the GST kicked in on April 1 this year.
The new consumption tax has significant impact in the daily routines of the respondents, with more than half (56%) minimising going out for lunch with colleagues, and about 47% started packing food from home.
Graphic taken from Jobstreet.com
“Some have also resorted to frugal activities, such as utilising their pantries, and carpooling to reduce their expenses,” Jobstreet said.
Among the respondents, only 19% said that GST did not affect their work routine.
Most of the respondents needed additional boost from the employer to help them cope with the 6% GST, such as:
- 76% wanted at least 10% salary hike
- 63% wanted a petrol allowance
Related: Get a petrol credit card to help you save on petrol expenses.
Graphic taken from Jobstreet.com
According to the survey, companies are also pressured with 41% of companies receiving increased demands in wages since GST.
However, only 19% of the companies had offered salary increments. This could be the reason why about 35% of the respondents are considering changing jobs to cope with GST.
“Seeing that salaries are a top priority for most people, Jobstreet.com has introduced a Salary Matching feature that matches candidates to the salaries that they want,” Jobstreet’s country manager Chook Yuh Yng said.
The survey saw participation from a total of 1,454 employees and 490 employers.
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