Cover image via Gemini (SAYS)
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A Threads post by a Malaysian woman has gone viral after she shared her frustration over low wages and limited job opportunities in her home state of Kelantan, despite being highly educated and working six days a week
The user, @sereneminy, wrote that she earns only RM1,700 a month despite holding a degree, describing the situation as "traumatising".
"Trauma sangat nak kerja dekat Kelantan. Job opprtunities kurang. Kerja 6 hari seminggu full days. Gaji basic 1.7k walaupun degree. Majikan bahlol. Barang kat kelantan tak murah pun, sama je dengan kl. Rakyat Kelantan sepatutnya terima bila orang kata negeri mundur sebab employability & gaji tu menyakitkan hati," she wrote in Bahasa Melayu.
"It's so traumatic working in Kelantan. There are very few job opportunities. We work six full days a week. The basic salary is RM1,700 even with a degree. Employers are stupid.
"Things here aren't cheap either — they cost the same as in KL. People in Kelantan should accept it when others call the state underdeveloped because employability and salaries here are just painful," she wrote.
Her post quickly gained traction, drawing hundreds of comments from Malaysians who either agreed with her or felt she was being unfair
Some users echoed her complaints, saying living in Kelantan costs just as much as in Kuala Lumpur, but wages are far lower.
One commenter wrote, "Then come the ones saying, 'I can survive on RM1.5k with two kids in Kelantan'. Bro, that's because you're living in your parents' house."
Another shared their own experience of having to leave the state.
"I was born and raised in Kelantan, but I left long ago for a better life. Most Kelantanese have to migrate, that's why the state only gets crowded during Raya."
Not everyone sympathised with her post. One user accused her of having a "weak mentality" for expecting high pay without hustling.
"In Kelantan, you need to fight to survive. People who only want air-conditioned office jobs but complain online that their salaries aren't enough, embarrassing. The people selling pickles by the traffic lights probably earn more than you," they said.
The woman didn't hold back in her reply, calling them out for their "stupid mindset".
"You must love oppressing others," she wrote.
The argument escalated, with the commenter responding, "Weak. Always blaming the environment."
Many commenters pushed back against the idea that Kelantan's cost of living is lower
"Whoever says things are cheaper in Kelantan is lying. Prices are just as high as everywhere else," wrote one user.
"That used to be true a long time ago, but not anymore. Prices have gone up, but salaries stayed the same," another added.
"This issue has been around for years with no solution. People know it's true, but whenever someone says the state government has failed, they immediately get labelled as haters," said one user, noting that low pay and the high cost of living in the state are structural and deeply rooted.
According to data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Kelantan has consistently recorded some of the lowest median and mean monthly household incomes in the country
According to the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) 2024 Report by DOSM, Kelantan recorded an average monthly household disposable income of RM4,609, the lowest in the country.
In comparison, the national average stood at RM7,584, while households in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, and Putrajaya earned more than RM10,000 on average.
The figures reflect a persistent income gap that has long pushed many young Kelantanese to seek better opportunities elsewhere. For decades, the trend of individuals leaving their home state for work in urban centres has become a necessity rather than a choice for many.
For @sereneminy, her viral post captured that very sentiment: the frustration of being educated, hardworking, and ambitious, yet feeling trapped by an economy that hasn't kept up with the rest of the country.
