A Malaysian man has shared the reason why he works in Singapore as a garbage disposal staff: Because he can earn around RM6,000 (S$1,870) to RM9,600 (S$2,980), once his salary is converted from Singapore dollars to ringgit, Malaysian media Sin Chew Daily reported.

Travels between Malaysia and Singapore daily

The man, who goes by the handle @ezzaiky7 on TikTok, shared his experiences and his rationale for doing such a job, which many shun naturally.

@ezzaiky7 Dengar sahaja best try dulu 🤭 #runsgd🇸🇬l🇲🇾 ♬ original sound - Napi✌️💪🙋

He said that while life in Singapore is not as good as he had imagine, he is grateful for having a stable job and feels that he should complain less.

The man also said he stays in Johor Bahru with his family and travels between Singapore and Malaysia every day.

High salaries in Malaysia are for people with high education qualifications

In response to a comment that claimed that the average pay in Malaysia is higher than in Singapore, the man replied in another video that people with high salaries in Malaysia are those with high education qualifications.

@ezzaiky7 Replying to @Boroh Kasar ♬ Cinta Dewa Dewi (Live) - Spider

He then added that he was "not educated".

"But if you know of any places that still offer high salaries, please let me know. I also want to live in my own country with a salary of 8,000, 7,000, 9,000 ringgit. I want to know what that feels like," he said.

In emphasising that he had made his choice with his job in Singapore, he elaborated:

"I know sustenance is available anywhere, both in Malaysia and in Singapore but looks like my fate is here (in Singapore). So I just accept it lah. Correct? But working here means that I must be tough. I have to face the traffic jams and all, no choice. But I can't complain because I'm blessed with a job, so I accept."

Wages for cleaners

Earlier this year in January, the Ministry of Manpower announced that a six-year schedule of sustained Progressive Wage Model (PWM) wage increases from 2023 to 2028 for waste management workers will be implemented, starting from Jul. 1, 2023.

Under this schedule, the monthly baseline wage of an entry-level waste collection crew worker is expected to increase from S$2,210 in 2023 to S$3,260 in 2028.

The PWM covers Singapore citizens and Singapore permanent residents (PRs) in the sectoral progressive wages for cleaning, security and landscape.

Top Screenshots from @ezzaiky7 TikTok