Hawker / Food Stall Operator
Hospitality & Tourism
Sell goods or services door-to-door or on the street.
You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.
In Malaysia
O*NET's street vendor is a minor US job, but in Malaysia hawkers (gerai, pasar malam, food trucks) are central to how people eat. A Khazanah Research Institute study counts them at about 15% of the informal workforce. Most are self-employed and need a local-council licence plus MOH food-handler training and a typhoid jab.
- How people get into it here
- Usually starts with helping at a family or friend's stall. Before selling you need the 3-hour MOH-recognised food handler course, an anti-typhoid injection and a hawker or stall licence from your council (PBT). A culinary SKM or diploma, or an entrepreneurship course (e.g. through TEKUN or MARA), helps you grow into a shop or food truck.
Sources:thestar.com.mydbkl.gov.myhq.moh.gov.myjknmelaka.moh.gov.my
What you'd do all day
The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.
- 1Explain products or services and prices and demonstrate use of products.
- 2Develop prospect lists.
- 3Deliver merchandise and collect payment.
- 4Write and record orders for merchandise or enter orders into computers.
- 5Arrange buying parties and solicit sponsorship of such parties to sell merchandise.
- 6Answer questions about product features and benefits.
- 7Distribute product samples or literature that details products or services.
- 8Circulate among potential customers or travel by foot, truck, automobile, or bicycle to deliver or sell merchandise or services.
- 9Persuade customers to purchase merchandise or services.
- 10Set up and display sample merchandise at parties or stands.
- 11Order or purchase supplies.
- 12Stock carts or stands.
Also known as
What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.
- Hawker
- Vendor
- Peddler
- Huckster
- Bumboater
- Canvasser
- Deliverer
- Sales Rep
- Book Agent
- Fullerette
How far is this from you?
Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.
1
Entry straight after SPM
Typical entry
SPM + sijil / short TVET course
3
Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)
4
Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)
5
Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route
Subjects that matter here
The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.
What you'd need to know
The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.
- Customer and Personal Service88%
- Sales and Marketing83%
BusinessEconomics
- English Language66%
English
- Administrative61%
Business
- Administration and Management60%
BusinessEconomics
- Education and Training52%
Tools you'd use
Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.
What the work feels like
Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.
- Face-to-face discussionsOften
- Contact with other peopleConstant contact
- Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
- Leading or coordinating othersHigh
- Handling conflict situationsRarely
- Indoors, air-conditionedAlmost never
- Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
- Noisy environmentAlmost never
Where this job is heading
Newer tasks O*NET has flagged for this occupation, a hint at how the role is changing.
- Contact customers to ensure their satisfaction with products or services.
- Train new recruits or other employees.
AI and demand for this job
A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.
Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)
This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.
Of Malaysian Claude conversations, about this kind of work
Measures how much people use Claude for this work, not how many Malaysians do this job — and more AI use can mean people relying on it, not that it's replacing them.
Pay in Malaysia
We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.
Where to check:
- JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
- DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
- SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
Check what you may qualify for
Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.
How to get here
Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.
Related careers
If this interests you, these are worth a look too.
About this information
This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.
O*NET occupation: Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers
Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org