On paper, Southeast Asia is one of the world’s fastest-growing regions. But for millions of workers, that growth is not necessarily reflected in their wallets, let alone in their daily schedules. Data from official statistical agencies and international labor surveys show that the region contains one of the world’s starkest contrasts: long working hours alongside deeply unequal incomes.
Singapore stands out as an outlier that distorts the regional picture. According to the 2024 Labour Force Survey by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), the country’s median monthly salary reached S$5,500, or around US$4,100 per month.
On the other hand, Viet Nam recorded an average monthly income for formal workers of only around VND8.4 million in the first half of 2024, equivalent to roughly US$330, according to the General Statistics Office of Viet Nam (GSO). The gap is more than twelvefold within the same region.
Working Hours: Legal Limits vs Reality on the Ground
Almost every Southeast Asian country sets legal working hours between 40 and 48 hours per week. But actual figures tell a different story.
In Indonesia, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) reported in August 2025 that one in four workers, or 25.47%, worked more than 49 hours per week. This exceeds the legal limit of 40 hours stated in the country’s Labor Law. Among male workers, the figure was even higher at 28.50%.
Cambodia has consistently recorded the highest actual working hours in Southeast Asia. Data from the International Labour Organization (ILO) places the average at around 47 hours per week, largely driven by the garment and construction sectors, both of which rely heavily on informal labor.
Singapore, despite ranking highest in wages, recorded an average workweek of 42.6 hours according to Remote’s 2024 Global Life-Work Balance Index. The country ranked 26th out of 60 countries globally and performed the best in Southeast Asia for work-life balance.
The Philippines presents perhaps the sharpest contrast. With average working hours of 40.63 hours per week and a minimum wage equivalent to US$1.45 per hour, the country ranked 59th out of 60 countries in the same index, only one place above Nigeria.
Income: A Gap Too Large to Ignore
Malaysia is one of the countries with the most transparent labor data in the region. The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) publishes monthly figures, and as of December 2024, the median wage in the formal sector stood at RM3,045, or around US$680 per month, up 5% from the previous year.
But the country’s internal inequality remains significant: the top 10% of workers earned at least RM10,800, nearly seven times more than the bottom 10%, who earned RM1,500 or less.
An Aon survey covering more than 950 companies across six Southeast Asian countries between July and September 2024 showed a trend of competitive salary increases. Viet Nam led with a projected wage increase of 6.7% in 2025, followed by Indonesia at 6.3%, the Philippines at 5.8%, Malaysia at 5.0%, Thailand at 4.7%, and Singapore at 4.4%.
Ironically, the highest increases are occurring in countries with the lowest salary baselines, reflecting growing pressure from rising living costs.
What the Numbers Can't Tell You
Average salary figures represent the mean, not the median. This means that a small number of high-income workers in sectors such as finance and technology can significantly lift the statistical average without reflecting the reality faced by the majority.
In Indonesia, for example, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) recorded the average net monthly wage at Rp3.27 million as of August 2024. But the figure spans an extremely wide range, from mining workers earning Rp5.23 million to workers in other service sectors earning only Rp1.99 million.
Data for Brunei shows average formal-sector wages of around US$1,700 per month based on International Labour Organization (ILO) compilations, although the country’s economy remains heavily concentrated in oil and gas.
Meanwhile, several ASEAN member states, including Laos, Myanmar, and Timor-Leste, still face major limitations in labor data availability due to the dominance of informal employment and underdeveloped statistical collection capacity.
Data Summary: Working Hours and Wages in Southeast Asia
Mean gross refers to the average income before tax, which tends to appear higher because it is distorted by a small number of very high-income earners. Median refers to the midpoint value and is generally more representative of the conditions experienced by the majority of workers. The (~) symbol indicates estimates based on ILO and Trading Economics compilations.
| Country | Mean Gross/Month (USD) | Median/Month (USD) | Median Data Availability | Actual Working Hours/Week | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore | ~$5,056 | ~$4,100 | Available (MOM) | ~42.6 hours | ||
| Brunei | ~$1,708 | Limited data | — | ~40 hours | ||
| Malaysia | ~$797 | ~$680 | Available (DOSM) | ~45 hours | ||
| Thailand | ~$488 | Limited data | — | ~41 hours | ||
| Philippines | ~$376 | Limited data | — | ~40.6 hours | ||
| Indonesia | ~$358 | Limited data | — | ~41 hours (25.47% work over 49 hours) | ||
| Cambodia | ~$336 | Limited data | — | ~47 hours | ||
| Viet Nam | ~$330 | Limited data | — | ~42 hours | ||
| Myanmar | ~$214 | Limited data | — | ~44–46 hours | ||
| Timor-Leste | ~$175 | Limited data | — | Limited data | ||
| Laos | ~$111 | Limited data | — | ~41 hours |
Note: Two consistency notes are important to understand
- Singapore’s median figure (~US$4,100) refers to the S$5,500 median monthly wage reported by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), converted using an exchange rate of around 0.745. Meanwhile, the mean gross figure (~US$5,056) comes from ILO/wage.is compilations based on S$6,429, which includes employer CPF contributions, making it higher than the median.
- For Malaysia, the mean gross figure of US$797 comes from ILO compilations, while the median figure of US$680 is based on DOSM Q4 2024 data (RM3,045).
