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Government schemes · what the state already offers

The employability schemes you are entitled to

Malaysia runs several national schemes aimed at exactly the gap this section describes. They are badly known by the students they exist for. A graduate can spend a year unemployed without ever hearing about PROTÉGÉ, which pays at least RM1,000 a month for up to twelve months and was built for that person.

The number to judge an internship offer against

RM 600
A month, degree and above
RM 500
A month, diploma level

MySIP sets these as the minimum allowance for an endorsed internship of at least 10 weeks. That makes it the closest thing Malaysia has to a national standard for intern pay. In our sample of 245 postings, at least 5 publish a starting allowance of RM500 or less, with the lowest at RM300 a month.

This is not a legal minimum. It is the threshold a company must meet to claim the double tax deduction, so an employer outside the scheme can lawfully pay less. The useful question to ask before accepting a placement is simply whether it is MySIP-endorsed.

Quick answers

What is the minimum internship allowance in Malaysia?

RM 600 a month, degree and above; RM 500 a month, diploma level. MySIP sets these as the minimum allowance for an endorsed internship of at least 10 weeks. That makes it the closest thing Malaysia has to a national standard for intern pay. In our sample of 245 postings, at least 5 publish a starting allowance of RM500 or less, with the lowest at RM300 a month. This is not a legal minimum. It is the threshold a company must meet to claim the double tax deduction, so an employer outside the scheme can lawfully pay less. The useful question to ask before accepting a placement is simply whether it is MySIP-endorsed.

What is PROTÉGÉ-RTW and who qualifies?

PROTÉGÉ-RTW is for graduates who have finished studying and have not found work at market rate. This is the scheme most often missed by the people it was built for. Run by: Ministry of Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development (KUSKOP). Who qualifies: Malaysian citizen; Aged 30 or below at the point of application; Unemployed after graduation, or employed on pay below the market rate; Diploma level and above (a separate track, GRACE, covers unemployed TVET graduates under 30). What you are paid: training allowance of not less than RM1,000 a month. How long: up to 12 months. Employers advertising Protégé placements often write “currently unemployed”, which reads as though any job disqualifies you. KUSKOP's own criteria are wider: being employed below the market rate also qualifies. If you are underemployed, check the official criteria rather than the job ad.

What is MySTEP and how much does it pay?

MySTEP is for graduates wanting a short contract in the public sector, a GLC or a GLIC while they look for something permanent. Run by: Federal government, applications through the MyFutureJobs portal. Who qualifies: Malaysian citizen aged 18 and above; Applications made through the MyFutureJobs candidate portal. What you are paid: around RM1,800 a month at diploma level and RM2,100 at degree level. Rates are revised each year, so check the portal for the current figure. How long: contracts from one to twelve months. It is short-term by design. Useful as a bridge and as public-sector experience, but it is not a permanent appointment and should not replace applying for one.

Do I apply for JaminKerja and HRD Corp myself?

You never apply for these. They are here because they explain employer behaviour: why some companies actively prefer fresh graduates and why funded training may already be paid for on your behalf. JaminKerja: a hiring incentive paid to the employer, plus funded upskilling through HRD Corp. HRD Corp: training grants to the employer, not a payment to you.

Schemes you apply to yourself

Student and graduate

MySIP

TalentCorp, under the Ministry of Human Resources

Students about to do an internship. MySIP is the national standard an internship can be endorsed against.

What you are paid
Minimum RM600 a month for degree, master's or professional certificate level; minimum RM500 for diploma, DKM or SKM level.
How long
At least 10 weeks

Who qualifies

  • Malaysian citizen
  • Internship of at least 10 weeks with a participating company
  • The company registers the placement through the MyNext platform

The minimum is not a law. It is the threshold a company must meet to claim the double tax deduction, so an employer outside the scheme can pay less, and in our sample, several do. Ask whether a placement is MySIP-endorsed before you accept it.

Official site

PROTÉGÉ-RTW

Ministry of Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development (KUSKOP)

Graduates who have finished studying and have not found work at market rate. This is the scheme most often missed by the people it was built for.

What you are paid
Training allowance of not less than RM1,000 a month.
How long
Up to 12 months

Who qualifies

  • Malaysian citizen
  • Aged 30 or below at the point of application
  • Unemployed after graduation, or employed on pay below the market rate
  • Diploma level and above (a separate track, GRACE, covers unemployed TVET graduates under 30)

Employers advertising Protégé placements often write “currently unemployed”, which reads as though any job disqualifies you. KUSKOP's own criteria are wider: being employed below the market rate also qualifies. If you are underemployed, check the official criteria rather than the job ad.

Official site

MySTEP

Federal government, applications through the MyFutureJobs portal

Graduates wanting a short contract in the public sector, a GLC or a GLIC while they look for something permanent.

What you are paid
Around RM1,800 a month at diploma level and RM2,100 at degree level. Rates are revised each year, so check the portal for the current figure.
How long
Contracts from one to twelve months

Who qualifies

  • Malaysian citizen aged 18 and above
  • Applications made through the MyFutureJobs candidate portal

It is short-term by design. Useful as a bridge and as public-sector experience, but it is not a permanent appointment and should not replace applying for one.

Official site

MyFutureJobs

PERKESO (Social Security Organisation)

Any Malaysian job seeker. It is the national job portal, and the only route into MySTEP.

What you are paid
Free to use. Pay depends on the employer.
How long
Not applicable

Who qualifies

  • Malaysian citizen
  • Register and complete a candidate profile
Official site

Schemes your employer applies to

Context, not applications

You never apply for these. They are here because they explain employer behaviour: why some companies actively prefer fresh graduates and why funded training may already be paid for on your behalf.

JaminKerja

PERKESO, with training delivered through HRD Corp

Employers. Worth knowing because it pays companies to hire people who have been out of work, including fresh graduates.

You never apply for this yourself, but it explains why some employers actively prefer fresh graduates and the long-term unemployed. It is reasonable to ask an employer whether a role is supported under it.

Official site

HRD Corp

Human Resources Development Corporation, Ministry of Human Resources

Employers with 10 or more Malaysian staff, who pay a levy and can claim it back as training. Its Industrial Training Scheme funds structured placements.

If your employer contributes to HRD Corp, funded training is already paid for on your behalf. Most junior staff never ask; it is one of the easiest things to negotiate in a first job.

Official site

Figures are taken from each operating agency's own published material and were checked on 4 August 2026. Allowances and intake sizes are revised periodically, so treat the official site as authoritative and this page as a map of what exists.

What Malaysian employers actually ask a student forCareers