假设你是一家公司的老板，想从国外聘一位工程师。过去，只要月薪开到 RM1 万，你就能替他申请最高一档的工作准证。

但从 2026 年 6 月 1 日起，同样这一档，门槛翻倍到了 RM2 万。这不是小调整——它背后，是一个关于「工作机会该留给谁」的政策转向。

先搞懂：什么是「就业准证」

外国人要在马来西亚合法从事专业工作，通常需要一张 就业准证（Employment Pass，简称 EP）。政府按薪金把它分成三档，薪水越高，代表越是「高技能、难替代」的人才，准证条件也越宽。

这次改革（内阁于 2025 年 10 月 17 日批准，6 月 1 日生效）把三档的最低薪金全部上调（马来西亚移民局 ESD）：

  • 第一档（EP I）： 从 RM1 万 → RM2 万（可长达 10 年）
  • 第二档（EP II）： 从 RM5,000–9,999 → RM1 万–19,999
  • 第三档（EP III）： 从 RM3,000–4,999 → RM5,000–9,999

新门槛适用于 6 月 1 日起的所有新申请和续签。

政府为什么这么做

官方给的理由，和上一篇提到的**第十三大马计划（RMK-13）**是同一条线：减少对外籍劳动力的依赖，把机会优先留给合资格的本地人才（移民局）。

逻辑是这样的：如果聘外国人变「贵」了，企业就更有诱因去聘本地人；而那些真的非请不可的外国专才，薪水门槛也逼着企业「请就请真正高端的」，顺带把整体薪资水平往上带。

一句话概括政府的意图：用价格这道闸，把低薪的外籍岗位挡下来，把机会和薪资留给本地人。

但事情有两面

支持的一方会说：马来西亚长期被诟病「薪水涨不动」，一部分原因就是低薪外劳压低了行情。抬高门槛，等于逼企业要么给本地人机会、要么就得开出真正有竞争力的薪水——对本地打工人是利好。

担忧的一方会说：门槛一刀切翻倍，可能吓退外来投资和真正需要的专才；有些行业（尤其初创、科技）本来就缺人，硬性高门槛未必请得到本地替代，反而卡住企业成长。而且，「保护本地人」和「本地人是否真的补得上这些岗位」，是两个不同的问题——保护了位置，不等于自动补上了能力。

两种说法都指向同一个真问题：光靠抬高外籍门槛，能不能真的换来本地人的机会与更高的薪水？ 这要看本地的技能培训、教育供给跟不跟得上——这也正是 RMK-13 承诺要投的地方。政策能不能成，关键在这两条线有没有接上。

公民可以做的事

  • 如果你是求职者： 留意你所在的行业，是不是那种「高度依赖外籍中低薪岗位」的领域。门槛提高后，本地机会可能变多，也可能整个行业转型——两种都值得提前准备。
  • 如果你是雇主或自雇： 新门槛已生效，聘用外籍员工的成本结构变了，以**移民局（Jabatan Imigresen）**官方公告为准做规划。
  • 把它和 RMK-13 连起来看。 这不是孤立的一招，而是「减少依赖外劳 + 培养本地人才」这盘大棋里的一步。看它，要看配套的培训投入跟不跟得上。
  • 追踪结果，而不是只听意图。 一两年后回头看：本地就业和薪资，真的因此改善了吗？政策好不好，最终由结果说话。

带走一个念头

这项改革想做的，是用一道薪金门槛，把「机会」从外籍岗位挪回本地人手上。

但机会被「腾出来」，和本地人「接得住」，是两回事。真正决定成败的，从来不只是那道门槛有多高，而是我们有没有同时把人才培养的梯子架起来。

来源： 马来西亚移民局 ESD 官方公告、KPMG、InCorp Malaysia。以移民局最新公告为准。

Say you run a company and want to hire an engineer from abroad. Previously, an offer of RM10,000 a month let you apply for the top-tier work pass.

From 1 June 2026, that same tier's bar doubled to RM20,000. This isn't a small tweak — it reflects a shift in thinking about who jobs should go to.

First, what an "Employment Pass" is

A foreigner doing professional work in Malaysia usually needs an Employment Pass (EP). The government splits it into three tiers by salary — the higher the pay, the more "high-skilled and hard to replace" the person is deemed, and the more generous the terms.

This reform (approved by Cabinet on 17 October 2025, effective 1 June 2026) raised the minimum salary for all three tiers (Immigration Dept ESD):

  • Tier I (EP I): RM10,000 → RM20,000 (up to 10 years)
  • Tier II (EP II): RM5,000–9,999 → RM10,000–19,999
  • Tier III (EP III): RM3,000–4,999 → RM5,000–9,999

The new bar applies to all new and renewal applications from 1 June.

Why the government did it

The official reason runs along the same line as the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK-13): reduce reliance on foreign labour and prioritise qualified local talent (Immigration Dept).

The logic: if hiring foreigners gets pricier, firms have more reason to hire locals; and for genuinely essential foreign experts, a higher bar pushes companies to bring in only the truly high-end — nudging overall wages up.

In a sentence: use price as a gate to block low-paid foreign roles, and keep the opportunity and pay for locals.

But there are two sides

Supporters say Malaysia's long-stagnant wages are partly due to cheap foreign labour holding rates down. A higher bar forces firms either to give locals a chance or to pay genuinely competitive salaries — good for local workers.

Those worried say a blanket doubling could deter foreign investment and needed experts; some sectors (startups, tech) are already short-staffed, and a hard bar may not find local replacements, stalling growth. And "protecting locals" is a different question from "whether locals can actually fill these roles" — protecting the seat doesn't automatically supply the skill.

Both point to the same real question: can raising the foreign bar actually deliver local opportunity and higher pay? That depends on whether local training and education keep up — exactly what RMK-13 promises to fund. Whether the policy works hinges on those two lines connecting.

What a citizen can do

  • If you're job-hunting: notice whether your industry leans heavily on lower-paid foreign roles. A higher bar may mean more local openings — or a whole-sector shift. Prepare for either.
  • If you're an employer or self-employed: the new bar is in force; plan around the Immigration Department's official notices.
  • Read it alongside RMK-13. This isn't a lone move but one step in a bigger "reduce foreign reliance + build local talent" play. Judge it by whether the training investment keeps pace.
  • Track outcomes, not just intentions. In a year or two: did local jobs and wages actually improve? Policy is judged by results.

One thing to take away

This reform tries to use a salary gate to move opportunity from foreign roles back to locals.

But an opening being freed up and locals being able to fill it are two different things. What decides success was never just how high the bar is — it's whether we also raised the ladder of talent alongside it.

Sources: Malaysia Immigration Dept (ESD), KPMG, InCorp Malaysia. Per the latest Immigration Department announcement.