As the new year approaches, many Malaysians are once again on the hunt for new jobs, whether to seek a better working environment or to negotiate for higher pay based on their skills and experience.
In preparation, job seekers often research common interview questions, set salary expectations, analyse job scopes, and practise professional communication.
However, some candidates still encounter unexpected questions or requests during interviews, one of the most debated being the request for a payslip.
Recruiter warns against manipulating payslips
Recently, a recruiter shared a LinkedIn post on Threads, warning job seekers not to falsify or manipulate their payslips when submitting them to potential employers.
According to the recruiter, employers can often detect inconsistencies, especially when candidates attempt to inflate their previous salary to justify a higher demand at a new company.
“To all candidates, please don’t manipulate your payslip. Your last salary was RM2,500, then you changed it to RM3,000 and now you’re asking for RM4,000 at a new company.
“You edited the payslip but forgot to change your Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contribution. Please be honest with recruiters or anyone you apply to,” the recruiter wrote.
Questionable HR practices
However, not everyone agreed with the recruiter’s stance. A LinkedIn user known as Ikhwan criticised the common HR practice of requesting for payslips in the first place, calling it unethical.
He argued that employers should not expect ethical behaviour from candidates if hiring practices themselves are questionable.
“HR gets angry at candidates for editing payslips — which is clearly unethical — but HR is also practising something unethical. How can you expect employees to be ethical if employers don’t lead by example? Like the pot calling the kettle black,” he said.
The debate later spilled onto Threads, where many users echoed similar frustrations.
A netizen questioned why recruiters rely so heavily on previous salaries instead of assessing a candidate’s skills and potential contribution.
Another alleged that some HR departments have internal KPIs that incentivise offering lower salaries, adding that the practice of asking for payslips during the hiring process should be stopped altogether.
Laayer weighs in
A lawyer named Hawari Hanafi has since stepped in to explain the legal position regarding the issue.
He clarified that under Malaysian law, there is no regulation prohibiting employers from requesting a candidate’s payslip. However, candidates are not legally obligated to comply with such requests.
In the Malaysian legal context, there is no law that forbids a prospective employer from asking for a payslip. This is generally an HR practice to help determine a suitable salary offer based on your employment history.
“That said, there are laws protecting privacy, financial information, and personal data. If you feel the request is unfair or overly intrusive, you have the right to ask why the payslip is needed,” he added.
