Skip to main content

Welder

Stable

Skilled Trades

Joins and fabricates metal for construction, shipyards and oil & gas facilities. Internationally recognised certifications (AWS, API) let experienced welders earn far above the local average, including overseas contracts.

You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.

Mechanical EngineeringGeneral

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Operate safety equipment and use safe work habits.
  2. 2Examine workpieces for defects and measure workpieces with straightedges or templates to ensure conformance with specifications.
  3. 3Weld components in flat, vertical, or overhead positions.
  4. 4Check grooves, angles, or gap allowances, using micrometers, calipers, and precision measuring instruments.
  5. 5Detect faulty operation of equipment or defective materials and notify supervisors.
  6. 6Recognize, set up, and operate hand and power tools common to the welding trade, such as shielded metal arc and gas metal arc welding equipment.
  7. 7Select and install torches, torch tips, filler rods, and flux, according to welding chart specifications or types and thicknesses of metals.
  8. 8Mark or tag material with proper job number, piece marks, and other identifying marks as required.
  9. 9Determine required equipment and welding methods, applying knowledge of metallurgy, geometry, and welding techniques.
  10. 10Prepare all material surfaces to be welded, ensuring that there is no loose or thick scale, slag, rust, moisture, grease, or other foreign matter.
  11. 11Align and clamp workpieces together, using rules, squares, or hand tools, or position items in fixtures, jigs, or vises.
  12. 12Melt and apply solder to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products, using soldering equipment.
  13. 13Connect and turn regulator valves to activate and adjust gas flow and pressure so that desired flames are obtained.
  14. 14Position and secure workpieces, using hoists, cranes, wire, and banding machines or hand tools.
  15. 15Melt and apply solder along adjoining edges of workpieces to solder joints, using soldering irons, gas torches, or electric-ultrasonic equipment.
  16. 16Monitor the fitting, burning, and welding processes to avoid overheating of parts or warping, shrinking, distortion, or expansion of material.
  17. 17Ignite torches or start power supplies and strike arcs by touching electrodes to metals being welded, completing electrical circuits.
  18. 18Grind, cut, buff, or bend edges of workpieces to be joined to ensure snug fit, using power grinders and hand tools.
  19. 19Weld separately or in combination, using aluminum, stainless steel, cast iron, and other alloys.
  20. 20Chip or grind off excess weld, slag, or spatter, using hand scrapers or power chippers, portable grinders, or arc-cutting equipment.
  21. 21Guide and direct flames or electrodes on or across workpieces to straighten, bend, melt, or build up metal.
  22. 22Use fire suppression methods in industrial emergencies.
  23. 23Develop templates and models for welding projects, using mathematical calculations based on blueprint information.
  24. 24Repair products by dismantling, straightening, reshaping, and reassembling parts, using cutting torches, straightening presses, and hand tools.
  25. 25Preheat workpieces prior to welding or bending, using torches or heating furnaces.
  26. 26Clean or degrease parts, using wire brushes, portable grinders, or chemical baths.
  27. 27Set up and use ladders and scaffolding as necessary to complete work.
  28. 28Hammer out bulges or bends in metal workpieces.
  29. 29Operate metal shaping, straightening, and bending machines, such as brakes and shears.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Wirer
  • Bonder
  • Brazer
  • Burner
  • Dipper
  • Welder
  • Solderer
  • Connector
  • Arc Cutter
  • Arc Wedler

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. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. Typical entry

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationHigh school diploma

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

Design & Technology (RBT)Draws directly on Production and Processing — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Mechanical Engineering StudiesDraws directly on Production and Processing — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
PhysicsDraws directly on Mechanical — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional MathematicsDraws directly on Mathematics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
MathematicsDraws directly on Mathematics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Production and Processing70%

    Design & Technology (RBT)Mechanical Engineering Studies

  • Mechanical62%

    Mechanical Engineering StudiesPhysicsDesign & Technology (RBT)

  • Mathematics59%

    Additional MathematicsMathematics

  • English Language57%

    English

  • Design56%

    Visual Art (PSV)Technical Comm. GraphicsEngineering Drawing

  • Engineering and Technology52%

    PhysicsAdditional MathematicsDesign & Technology (RBT)

Skills to build

Hands-on focusSafety disciplineReliability

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

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 discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicNot at all
  • Leading or coordinating othersA little
  • Handling conflict situationsAlmost never
  • Indoors, air-conditionedAlmost never
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentEvery day

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.

0%

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.

On Malaysia's official shortage list

TalentCorp and ILMIA's Critical Occupations List — evidence of a real hiring shortage in Malaysia right now.

Welders and Flame Cutters · Shortage indicators met: 6/12

Pay in the private market

Monthly pay from fresh grad to mid-career, from the salary guide cited on this page.

Entry

Private
RM1,800 – RM2,500

Mid-career

Private
RM3,500 – RM6,500

Government pay isn't shown: we haven't yet sourced the SSPA civil-service salary tables, and we won't estimate them.

Job demand outlook

Stable

Steady, reliable demand: a consistent number of openings.

Your readiness

How your current SPM subjects line up with this career.

Add your SPM grades to see how ready you are for this career.

Add my grades

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.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

TVET

Hands-on trades with strong employability: ILP, ADTEC, kolej vokasional, GiatMARA.

1–3 years

Matriculation

One or two years, heavily subsidised with allowance. Competitive, quota-based entry.

12–24 months

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

International Pre-U

A-Levels, AUSMAT, IB and more. The flexible premium route, local or overseas.

1–2 years

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: Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

Source: Indeed Malaysia / PayScale · as of Jan 2026

Check the salary figures yourself:PayScaleIndeed Malaysia

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org

Programmes that lead here

Programmes from the official UPU (KPT) and MQA catalogues whose field of study typically leads to this career. Matched by field, not a job guarantee.

Public universities (UPU)

Private institutions (MQA-accredited)

Search the programme catalogue