Kehidupan Kelas Pertengahan Di Malaysia?

GhostWalking

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 15 — As the cost of living continues to rise and salaries struggle to catch up, Malaysia’s middle class may be shrinking with some hanging on by a thread and others even falling off into poverty.                                                           

        Although there has been a steady but painfully small incremental rise in household income in Malaysia, economists and academics say the term “middle class” does not have the same meaning it had more than 10 years ago.        With salaries unable to match inflation, being middle class no longer means as comfortable a living as compared to 20 years ago.        While disposable income or savings is a good indicator of how many people “live comfortably” or fall within the middle class category, both Bank Negara and the Statistics Department said they do not keep track of such data.        Salaries and household income        Out of almost 7.8 million working Malaysians, the median salary for 2012 and 2011 was stagnant at RM1,500. In 2010, it was slightly less at RM1,480.                                            
                           

        The median household income was RM3,626.        In comparison, median household income for the top 20 per cent is at RM9,796, the middle 40 per cent RM4,372 and the bottom 40 per cent is at RM1,852.         

Over the weekend, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar was quoted by state news agency Bernama as saying the preliminary report on the latest Household Income Survey showed the median stood at RM4,258, this year.                    

Who are the middle class?        Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs chief executive officer Wan Saiful Wan Jan said the middle class should consist of the middle 40 per cent with monthly incomes of at least RM3,000 all the way up to the top 20 per cent of incomes, which has a median of about RM9,800 for 2012. Based on the household income data for 2012, less than 51.8 per cent of Malaysian households belong in that category.        But does a household income of RM3,000 a month really put a family of four among the middle class?        


Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) associate professor in economics Dr Lean Hooi Hooi said the middle class should be defined as individuals or households with RM4,000 to RM20,000 of disposable income every month.        

“I think over the past five years, the inflation rate has been very high even though officially it was only at two to three per cent. We all feel the pain.        “Just go to the hawkers… for noodles or rice, prices go up 10 per cent every year,” she said in a phone interview recently.        

Sunway University Economics and Management Department head Dr Wong Koi Nyen, on the other hand, defined the middle class as semi-professionals and young professionals, based on their earning range per month of about RM5,000 and RM10,000 for families.        According to figures from the Statistics Department, RM5,000 is actually more than three times the median salary, and the household income of RM10,000 is almost three times the median household income.

        The 9.7 per cent of households in the highest income bracket of RM10,000 per month and above made up 31.5 per cent of overall household income recorded in the country.        In comparison, 17.6 per cent of household incomes, earning between RM1,000 and RM1,999, contributed to only 5.4 per cent of total household income, even though they formed the single largest group.        

For the semi-professionals and young professionals, Wong said their main source of income is solely from their salaries as most do not have assets.        “Due to the lifestyle of KL, I don’t think they can make ends meet because the main bulk of their expenses go to car installments.        

“I believe they have more than one credit card, which are liabilities, and if they have a family then they have to commit to their children’s education, health insurance and if they can afford, maybe an apartment,” he said.        

He added that even earning within that range, they may be considered middle class but they will still struggle financially, with no savings at the end of the month.        He pointed out that based on statistics from Bank Negara, household debt grew close to 13 per cent annually from 2003 to 2013 but Malaysians’ income only grew about five per cent on average.        

“So you can see that the growth in income cannot catch up to the growth of household debt,” he said adding that the four main liabilities for most Malaysians are home loans, car loans, credit card debts and personal loans.        Earning RM10,000        USM’s Lean said RM10,000 in an urban setting such as the Klang Valley and Penang would only provide a “standard living”, and not a luxurious one.        

She said an example of a typical family with four children’s expenses include: -      

House loan: RM3,000     
Car loan: RM1,000        
Four children: RM2,000 (RM500 each)      
Utilities: RM500-RM1,000        
Insurance: RM1,000        
Transportation: RM1,000      
Food: RM1,500-RM2,000        
Total = RM10,000 to RM11,000      
“Your RM10,000 is not enough to cover, definitely not entertainment, or even holidays in Malaysia.        

“Gone are the days when anyone earning RM10,000 was considered rich,” she said. Middle class group in the past  Dr Lim Teck Ghee, Centre for Policy Initiatives CEO, said rising incomes and relatively low cost of living enabled the middle class to grow in the past.        

This is no longer the general rule with urban housing especially out of reach for many on lower incomes, he added.        

Wong echoed the same sentiments and said the middle class group were much better off 10 years ago and beyond that.      

  Back then, most unmarried individuals stayed with their parents, saving on rent at a time when the cost of living was lower, he said.        

“Due to the high cost of living, being middle class today doesn’t mean anything.

“It meant something 10 years ago, 20 years ago especially after the economy has been transformed from Third World to developing, we can tell because there were fewer people living in poverty in the 70s, 80s.        

“But now it doesn’t mean anything,” he said. Keep up or risk falling into poverty Lim said the prospects of upward mobility “look dismal” for many in the middle class especially those self employed or in the informal sector.

“As the government’s record on both affordable housing and quality education has been abysmal and unlikely to improve, the middle class has to gear up for harder times ahead especially when the subsidies on essential goods, petrol, electricity and other items of everyday consumption are reduced or withdrawn,” he warned.

Moving forward, Sunway University’s Wong said the current middle class needs to consider investing their money, as well as upgrading their skills.        

“Instead of working for money, they should know how to make money work for them,” he said.        

“I think people have to upgrade in terms of their skills of their employment. You cannot forever be stuck at this level. You need to be more productive over time.

I think productivity, talent will help you to earn more,” he added.        

He also said people should also be looking for opportunities outside of Malaysia, as experience abroad would add to their bargaining power for a higher salary when they return.        

The ideal middle class  “I think you need to earn close to RM10,000, of course no debts... it’s a challenge to own a house now,” Wong said.        And for those who live in urban areas, he stressed the importance of being disciplined in their spending.        

He said it is important to allocate 10 to 15 per cent of one’s salary to savings and then pay the bills before spending on things which are not considered necessities.        

But he acknowledged that being disciplined and not indulging in the luxuries cities like KL have to offer could be a challenge to most.     

   “But if you want to adopt the KL city type of lifestyle, then you can never save.”

“I think over time, again what is relevant today may not be relevant tomorrow, it doesn’t mean anything.”      

  “Today we see RM5,000 per month is considered middle class but RM5,000 tomorrow might go down to the bottom 40 per cent,” he said.      


The trade off to having less cash, but more luxurious items      

Both Wong and USM’s Lean also said the biggest difference between the middle class in the past and those in the group today, is the access to a variety of high-tech consumer products as well as niche services which did not exist 10 years ago.        

“No doubt we struggle to make ends meet but we have better quality of life in terms of Internet, better coffee, so you can have these sort of counter arguments.      

  “Depends on what sort of things you are after,” Wong said. - See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.co ... thash.dR9e2fVY.dpuf

Bell

Benda nie boleh dilihat dari a few angle. 20 tahun dulu ada ke kerani, operator kilang pakai kereta? 20 tahun dulu berapa ramai org ada PC, laptop kat rumah? 20 tahun dulu berapa ramai org makan luar pagi petang siang mlm? 20 tahun dulu beramai org melancong on yearly basis (Air Asia belum ada masa tu)

And so on....so on.....

Al-Patih

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 15 — As the cost of living continues to rise and salaries struggle to catch up, Malaysia’s middle class may be shrinking with some hanging on by a thread and others even falling off into poverty.

                                                   
the value of our money....has reduce...thus reflect cost of living increase....

Bateesta

nobody give a damn about poor people ...

sueism

husni kata economy malaysia paling terbaik di dunia
tak kan kot malaysia miskin?

noor2

jangan kira berapa gajila....kira berapa yang tinggal selepas tolak semua hutang dan bil...baru tahu sebenar berapa yang tinggal...hat tu la untuk menampung makan pakai...

noor2

setakat gaji rm5k...tolak kereta ..rumah , bil letrik , air, duit minyak, tol , astro semua tinggal rm900...buat apa...cukup ka untuk makan pakai anak beranak sebulan....makan telur dan ikan masin je ka tiap2 bulan....

hat ni bulih dikategori golongan miskinla.,..

sekngucing

noor2 posted on 16-9-2014 07:54 AM
setakat gaji rm5k...tolak kereta ..rumah , bil letrik , air, duit minyak, tol , astro semua tinggal  ...

kdg2 dlm satu hari saya ;langsung tak keluarkan duit utk belanja

noor2

sekngucing posted on 16-9-2014 07:59 AM
kdg2 dlm satu hari saya ;langsung tak keluarkan duit utk belanja

kucing bawak bekal ke?....

sekngucing

noor2 posted on 16-9-2014 08:01 AM
kucing bawak bekal ke?....

tempat saya kerja, makan free, minum free, tak payah keluar utk makan
kdg2 bleh bawak balik

noor2

sekngucing posted on 16-9-2014 08:06 AM
tempat saya kerja, makan free, minum free, tak payah keluar utk makan
kdg2 bleh bawak balik

bestnya kucing....tak banyak kompeni yang macam ni...bulih jimat tang ni ....

sekngucing

noor2 posted on 16-9-2014 08:08 AM
bestnya kucing....tak banyak kompeni yang macam ni...bulih jimat tang ni ....

tulaaa jimat
tp saya bawak bekal air kosong sendiri
tak suka air manis2 duit kalau dah tinggal 100 pun steady lagi
sebab tak pening nak makan apa

kerunai

melayu mmg pemalas dan suka cari short cut utk kaya dan hidup senang tapi tak pernah jadi

betulkan ayat aku kalo silap

noor2

sekngucing posted on 16-9-2014 08:12 AM
tulaaa jimat
tp saya bawak bekal air kosong sendiri
tak suka air manis2 duit kalau dah ting ...

elokla berjimat kucing...simpan duit banyak2..umur masih muda..


makanan tu tak kira berapa harga ke? maksud noor..contoh kalau kita ambik makanan lebih dari rm12 pun boleh?

sekngucing

noor2 posted on 16-9-2014 08:52 AM
elokla berjimat kucing...simpan duit banyak2..umur masih muda..

saya sedang menyimpan laaa ni
tp hobi saya, kumpul mainan memerlukan wang yg bnyak

noor2

sekngucing posted on 16-9-2014 09:05 AM
saya sedang menyimpan laaa ni
tp hobi saya, kumpul mainan memerlukan wang yg bnyak

yer la gundam kucing tu memerlukan wang yang banyak......bila la nak stop hobi mcm ni...hihi...

sekngucing

noor2 posted on 16-9-2014 09:06 AM
yer la gundam kucing tu memerlukan wang yang banyak......bila la nak stop hobi mcm ni...hihi...

...

gundam sah stop
saya kumpul transformers aja

noor2

sekngucing posted on 16-9-2014 09:10 AM
gundam sah stop
saya kumpul transformers aja

kucing....kat mid valley tu kan...kalau tak salah i level 1...ada duk jual patung2 tu...harga dlm rm700-1000 lebih....kucing beli hat mcm tu ke...semua adiwira ada...saiz dia kecik2 ja....dalam 300mm(1 kaki ) -600mm (2 kaki) atau lebih sikit kut...i agak2 ja...

sekngucing

noor2 posted on 16-9-2014 09:14 AM
kucing....kat mid valley tu kan...kalau tak salah i level 1...ada duk jual patung2 tu...harga dlm  ...

alamak
tu patung hot toys, mahal
saya beli gundam aja, satu kotak ada la dlm rm 100-170
transformers ikut saiz, ada harga rm 70, makin besar makin mahal, hingga ke 200
saya tak beli patung2 mcm tu

noor2

sekngucing posted on 16-9-2014 09:23 AM
alamak
tu patung hot toys, mahal
saya beli gundam aja, satu kotak ada la dlm rm 100-170

owh...70 - 200 pun mahai jugak...kalau simpan tiap2 bulan dah membukit simpanan......