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Average Bricklayer Salary in Malaysia for 2026

A bricklayer in Malaysia earns about 22,540 MYR a year. That's 71% below the national average of 78,480 MYR.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Malaysia sit around 12,520 MYR a year, while the very top stretches to 34,960 MYR. Everything on this page is in Malaysian ringgit (MYR, symbol RM), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Malaysia, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.


How much does a bricklayer make in Malaysia?

Average salary
22,540 MYR
1,878 MYR per month
Lowest reported
12,520 MYR
1,043 MYR per month
Highest reported
34,960 MYR
2,913 MYR per month

A typical bricklayer working in Malaysia brings home around 1,878 MYR a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 12,520 MYR, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 34,960 MYR for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior bricklayer working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.


How bricklayer pay ranges in Malaysia

A good way to think about salary in Malaysia is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all bricklayers in Malaysia earn less than 23,380 MYR a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 17,020 MYR (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 27,620 MYR (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of bricklayers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 12,520 MYR. The highest stretch to 34,960 MYR, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

12,520
Low
23,380
Median
34,960
High
17,020
25th
27,620
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in MYR

Bricklayer pay by experience in Malaysia

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a bricklayer in Malaysia, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical bricklayer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    13,540 MYR
  • 2-5 Years
    +13% from previous
    15,300 MYR
  • 5-10 Years
    +62% from previous
    24,820 MYR
  • 10-15 Years
    +6% from previous
    26,400 MYR
  • 15-20 Years
    +14% from previous
    30,220 MYR
  • 20+ Years
    +4% from previous
    31,520 MYR

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 62%. That is the point at which a bricklayer typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.


Bricklayer pay by education in Malaysia

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving bricklayer pay in Malaysia. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average bricklayer salary in Malaysia broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • High School
    14,660 MYR
  • Certificate or Diploma
    +36% from previous
    20,000 MYR
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +71% from previous
    34,240 MYR

Bricklayer gender pay gap in Malaysia

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Malaysia is no exception. Male bricklayers in Malaysia earn an average of 23,660 MYR a year, while female bricklayers earn around 21,560 MYR. That works out to a 10% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Bricklayer gender pay gap

9%

Men earn this much more than women on average in Malaysia.

Men 23,660 MYR
Women 21,560 MYR

Pay raises for a bricklayer in Malaysia

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in Malaysia sees a raise of about 9% every 18 months, which works out to roughly 6% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in Malaysia, the national average raise is around 9% every 17 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in Malaysia:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
    2%
  • Construction
  • Education
    1%

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Bricklayer bonus rates in Malaysia

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

27%

27% of bricklayers in Malaysia reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a bricklayer a low-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 3% of base salary. The remaining 73% of bricklayers reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in Malaysia

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Bricklayer: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in Malaysia is about 11% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

10%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Malaysia on average.

Public sector 81,960 MYR
Private sector 73,820 MYR

Bricklayer salary by city in Malaysia

Bricklayer pay is not even across Malaysia. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • Ipoh
  • Shah Alam
  • Johor Bahru
  • Petaling Jaya
  • Kuala Lumpur
  • Kuching
  • Subang Jaya
  • Kota Kinabalu
  • Klang
  • Ampang
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
IpohCity24,820 MYR23,360 MYR12,840-36,700 MYR
Shah AlamCity24,280 MYR21,560 MYR13,700-34,360 MYR
Johor BahruCity23,520 MYR23,380 MYR8,880-34,540 MYR
Petaling JayaCity23,380 MYR21,020 MYR10,000-32,420 MYR
Kuala LumpurCity22,340 MYR21,980 MYR11,040-37,620 MYR
KuchingCity20,940 MYR23,400 MYR10,380-33,960 MYR
Subang JayaCity20,520 MYR18,940 MYR9,980-31,400 MYR
Kota KinabaluCity20,000 MYR19,380 MYR10,000-33,960 MYR
KlangCity19,060 MYR19,060 MYR12,020-32,960 MYR
AmpangCity19,060 MYR20,000 MYR9,460-31,040 MYR


Bricklayer in Malaysia: FAQs

  • How much does a bricklayer make per month in Malaysia?

    A bricklayer in Malaysia earns about 1,878 MYR a month before tax, based on an annual average of 22,540 MYR.

  • What's the salary range for a bricklayer in Malaysia?

    Entry-level bricklayers in Malaysia start near 12,520 MYR. Top-end pay reaches around 34,960 MYR. The middle 50% of earners sit between 17,020 and 27,620 MYR.

  • Is the median bricklayer salary in Malaysia higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 23,380 MYR, higher than the average of 22,540 MYR. Half of bricklayers in Malaysia earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for bricklayers in Malaysia?

    Men working as a bricklayer in Malaysia earn around 10% more than women on average (23,660 vs 21,560 MYR a year).

  • Do bricklayers in Malaysia get bonuses?

    About 27% of bricklayers in Malaysia reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 3% of base salary.

  • Do bricklayers earn more in the public or private sector in Malaysia?

    In Malaysia, the public sector pays a bricklayer about 11% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do bricklayers in Malaysia get a pay raise?

    A bricklayer in Malaysia sees a raise of around 9% every 18 months, equivalent to roughly 6% a year.