Low starting pay for graduates is one of the reasons for the brain drain in Malaysia, according to an executive of employment website Jobstreet.

Jobstreet Malaysia and Singapore country manager Chook Yuh Yng said graduates in Malaysia had expectations of starting salaries that went beyond what local employers could offer, resulting in more than 20,000 unemployed graduates in the current market.

The average salary offered to fresh graduates was RM2,200 but many were asking for more than RM3,000, Chook told reporters after a forum on graduate employability at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia today.

This prompted graduates to set their sights overseas, where remuneration was higher, she said.

"Private sector companies need to benchmark themselves against other players not only in Malaysia but elsewhere, it's a global market at the moment.

"We will lose out a lot of these (graduates) if we continue to be at this low level (of pay).

"Our best graduates will not want to remain in Malaysia if this is prolonged," she cautioned.

Expectations vs reality

UKM vice-chancellor Noor Azlan Ghazali concurred with Chook that graduates leaving Malaysia were "people with high qualifications" and that their desire for better pay was one of the key motivating factors for their departure.

However, he said employers could only offer reasonable wages, which match the commercial viability of their ventures.

"It's about more than different expectations, this is the reality," said Noor Azlan, who is an economist by training.

Deputy Higher Education Minister Mary Yap, who officiated the forum, said many graduates were unaware of existing pay scales.

"There is a need to raise awareness so students know the salary scales being offered by the industries for different types of skills students have," Yap said.