Wage Differentials in Malaysia: Public Employment, Gender, and Ethnicity*

Abstract The study examines the earnings differentials between the public and private sector in the Malaysian economy in terms of the moderations of the gender and ethnic wage differences in the public sector. The study uses the annual earnings from the Salaries and Wages Survey for 2011 and 2016. The key findings are that public employees are paid higher wages compared with private sector employees and the overall gender and ethnic wage differentials have declined in recent years. We also find that both gender and ethnic wage differentials are much smaller in the public sector.