“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”Working hard and striving for excellence isn’t something out of the ordinary in Malaysian culture. But can we sometimes take things a little too far?

While old speculative comments often poked at a certain few careers that require more personal sacrifice than necessary, it seems as though the idea has run dry in the Malaysian workforce altogether.

From working on weekends to clocking in longer hours than actually stipulated in employment agreements, instances of overworking has become less and less uncommon.

As recently reported, a whopping 72% of Malaysians do not want to further their studies after concluding their SPM examinations. While many attribute this occurrence to people seeking out more ‘glamorous’ or fast-money jobs, could there be a contributing factor in the growing burnout rates and stressful work requirements in modern work culture?

According to a recent study published by an access technology firm, Kisi, Kuala Lumpur ranks third for most overworked cities in the world in 2022

Within the report, Kisi stipulated the use of multiple statistical variations, including the context of rampant inflation, fallout from the pandemic, and the recent war in Ukraine.

They stated, “By comparing data on work intensity, institutional support, legislation, and liveability, [the] study ranks cities based on their success in promoting work-life balance to their citizens.”

It was revealed that Kuala Lumpur is the third most overworked city in the world, with Dubai and Hong Kong taking first and second place respectively. On the other hand, Oslo (Norway), Bern (Switzerland), and Helsinki (Finland) make up the top three spots for cities with the best work-life balance.

Among some of the most shocking results relating to KL’s ranking include an average of eight days for minimum vacation offered

On the flip side of the study, the Norwegian capital of Oslo tops the ranking with an average of 25 days vacation leave per year.

Furthermore, KL also bears a 30.7% for proportion of jobs that can be done remotely, in comparison to Singapore, which holds the highest percentile for this metric of all the 100 cities, at 52.06%. Nonetheless, Singapore still ranks at fourth for most overworked cities in the world, just behind Kuala Lumpur.

Going on their fourth year of conducting this study, this isn’t the first time Kuala Lumpur has ranked as one of the most overworked cities in the world

Having recorded these similar statistics in the past, Kisi has reported that Kuala Lumpur ranked fourth in 2019 and 2020, eighth in 2021, and now third in 2022, the highest it has ever been on the most overworked list since the inception of the study three years ago.

Speaking on the overall findings in their results, a paragraph of the study stipulates, “Rather than being a liveability index or a ranking of the best cities to work in, the study seeks to show which cities provide the healthiest work-life balance for their citizens.”

Malaysian Employers Are Considered The Most Stingy In SEA

They only spend 25 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on salaries.

How much is a good salary in Malaysia?

If your income is below RM2,500 a month, you’ll have to live pretty frugally

Many people in Malaysia subsist on considerably less. 

RM2,500 to RM4,000 will get you further, and anything above RM5,000 will afford you a pretty comfortable life in KL.

But the figure is among the lowest in the region compared to Singapore (40 per cent), Indonesia (84 per cent) and the Philippines (76 per cent) in the country’s major cities.

Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) president Datuk Abdul Halim Mansor said such a low percentage of payment did not make sense because the average employer could afford to pay more than the minimum wage of RM1,200.

He said employers should make society purchasing power, not let society accrue debts.

When paying low wages, this opens up space for debt, employees are forced to waste time working overtime.

As Malaysian employers only spend 25 per cent of GDP to pay the salaries of their employees, Malaysia has become the most stingy country in Southeast Asia, said Abdul Halim.

He was commenting on the stand of the Federation of Malaysian Employers (MEF), the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) and economists who objected and disagreed with the RM1,500 minimum wage increase based on various factors.

Malaysian Rank 2nd For Unhappiest Workers In The Whole Of Southeast Asia 

We Malaysians are known for our dedication to delivering high-quality work. However, a recent survey reveals that this commitment may come at a cost to our well-being.

Inadequate salary and benefits was the main source of dissatisfaction (53%) followed by lack of recognition (36%) and lack of career advancement opportunities (36%).

Additionally, according to SEEK’s Southeast Asia Hiring, Compensation and Benefits Report 2024, heavy workloads (37%), high pressure from management (27%) and lack of career development opportunities (23%) are the primary stress factors identified.

Despite the high stress levels, only 48% of companies offer sufficient stress management support.

n Malaysia, employers have focused more on employee engagement activities (17%) compared to mental health and wellness counselling, which is more common in the Philippines (30%) and Indonesia (15%).

According to a regional survey by Jobstreet and Jobsdb, part of SEEK, Malaysian employees are ranked the 2nd unhappiest workers in Southeast Asia. This survey was reportedly conducted in May 2024.

SME Magazine Asia reported that Singapore leads with 19% of employees experiencing high levels of unhappiness at work, while Malaysia follows closely with 12%.

The Southeast Asia Hiring, Compensation, and Benefits Report 2024 by SEEK highlights the main sources of stress for employees in the region: heavy workloads, high pressure from management, and a lack of career development opportunities.

In Malaysia, the emphasis has been on enhancing engagement through organisational activities (17%), rather than providing mental health and wellness counselling.

This approach contrasts with the Philippines (30%) and Indonesia (15%), where mental health support is more prevalent.