The money in Media & Creative: first pay and growth

Key facts

• Among new degree graduates in arts and humanities (the closest field to design, film and creative courses) who finished in 2025, the most common monthly pay band was RM1,501-RM2,000 (28.8%), and 56.0% earned RM2,000 or less (our sum of the published bands).^[1]
• Among new arts and humanities diploma graduates, the most common band was RM1,501-RM2,000 (37.8%), and 8.4% earned more than RM3,000 (our sum).^[1]
• New degree graduates in social sciences, journalism and information did better: 31.4% earned more than RM3,000 (our sum).^[1]
• Across all ages, the median monthly pay in 2025 was RM2,688 in arts, entertainment and recreation and RM4,723 in information and communication.^[2]
• Your first salary depends on the role, the employer, the location and your qualification. These ranges are what other new graduates reported to the government's survey, not a promise of what you will earn.^[1]

Media & Creative covers content, design, film and marketing. First pay here often starts modestly. Many creative workers also mix salaried work with freelance projects, which makes pay harder to compare.

Typical first roles

People in this area often start as a content producer, graphic designer, video editor or brand marketer. Job titles vary between employers, so read what the job involves, not only its name.

What new graduates earned in 2025

These figures come from the Ministry of Higher Education's (KPT) Graduate Tracer Study 2025. It covers Malaysian citizens who convocated in 2025 and was published in October 2026.^[1] The amounts are gross monthly pay, before EPF (your retirement savings) and SOCSO come out. The study's fields of study do not match our career areas exactly, so we use the closest field; that choice is ours. The last two columns are our own sums of the study's published pay bands. We show two fields: arts and humanities for design, film and creative courses, and social sciences, journalism and information for journalism and communication.

Source: KPT tracer study 2025.^[1]

The certificate row stands out: the most common band was RM1,000 and below. The report does not say why, and it does not separate full-time from part-time or project work. If you are thinking about a creative certificate, ask people who took one how they were paid in their first year.

The tracer study does not cover people who start work straight after SPM. For all Malaysian employees whose highest qualification was SPM or below, the median in 2025 was RM2,203, but that includes people with many years of experience.^[2]

Pay later on

DOSM's 2025 survey gives the median for everyone working in an industry, at every age: RM2,688 in arts, entertainment and recreation and RM4,723 in information and communication.^[2] Across all jobs, the median rose from RM1,931 at ages 20-24 to RM2,884 at 30-34.^[2] These are different people at different ages, so they show a general pattern, not your future pay.

Salary or fees?

Creative work is often paid by the project rather than by the month. A freelance fee has no employer EPF or SOCSO on top, and the work can stop between projects. When you compare a freelance rate with a salary, ask how many paid days you would really get in a month.

What this means for you

• Expect a modest start. More than half of new arts and humanities degree graduates (56.0%) earned RM2,000 or less, so plan your first year's budget on that.
• The industry matters. Across all ages, the median in information and communication (RM4,723) was well above arts, entertainment and recreation (RM2,688).
• Start a portfolio of real work now, with dates and what you did on each piece, so you have something to show when you apply or pitch to a client.
• If you go freelance, set your rate to cover the months without projects and your own retirement savings, which no employer will pay for you.

Your next step

1. Find two real entry-level job adverts for one role in this area (for example junior graphic designer or content producer). Note the pay, the location and whether EPF and SOCSO are mentioned, then compare the pay with the band for your route above.
2. On Day 3, bring that band and its source ("KPT tracer study, graduates of 2025") to the first-salary simulation. first-salary-simulation-explained shows how a gross salary becomes take-home pay and a month's budget, and payslip-basics-epf-socso-eis-minimum-wage explains each deduction. For every career area side by side, see first-salaries-by-career-area.

Scope and current-policy check (24 October 2026)

All graduate bands refer to citizens graduating from the institutions covered by KPT in 2025, grouped by field of study. They are not salaries for all SPM leavers or for a particular job title. DOSM medians cover different people across ages and roles; they do not establish a pay trajectory, causal qualification premium, job security or Malaysian vacancy growth. A tech startup is an employer type, not a separately measured salary population in these sources. Do not invent a startup premium.

RM1,700 is the reference in the published Minimum Wages Order 2024.^[3] Budget 2027 announced RM2,000 from June 2027 with an MSME sales exemption; treat that as an announcement until a new instrument and implementing guidance establish the applicable scope and effective date.^[4] Check the official 2027 updates guide before accepting an offer.

Ask whether pay is basic or includes overtime, whether shifts and probation apply, who pays licence and safety costs, and when progression is reviewed.