What Every Employer Must Know About the Employment Act 2022 Amendments每位雇主必须了解的 2022 年雇佣法令修正案

On 1 January 2023, the most significant amendments to Malaysia's Employment Act 1955 in nearly fifty years came into force. For HR professionals and business owners, the changes were not cosmetic, they reshape who is protected, how long they work, what leave they are entitled to, and what compliance looks like day-to-day.2023 年 1 月 1 日，马来西亚 1955 年雇佣法令近五十年来最重大的修正案正式生效。对人力资源从业者与企业主而言，这些改变绝非表面功夫，它们重新界定了谁受保护、工时多长、享有哪些假期，以及日常合规到底是什么样子。

If your payroll, leave policies, and employment contracts haven't been reviewed against the 2022 amendments yet, they should be. Here is a practical breakdown of what changed, and what it means for the work HR actually has to do.如果贵公司的薪资体系、假期政策与雇佣合约还未对照 2022 年修正案检视过，现在就应该做。以下逐项拆解改变了什么，以及这对人力资源的实际工作意味着什么。

1. Coverage now extends to all employees一 · 适用范围扩大至所有员工

Before the amendments, the Employment Act covered employees earning RM2,000 or less per month, plus certain categories of manual labour regardless of salary. The 2022 amendments removed that salary ceiling entirely.修正前，雇佣法令只涵盖月薪 RM2,000 或以下的员工，以及不论薪资的若干体力劳动类别。2022 年修正案彻底取消了这道薪资上限。

Today, all employees are covered by the Act. The practical effect: minimum statutory benefits, annual leave, sick leave, maternity leave, public holidays, rest days, overtime, now apply across your entire workforce, not just below-RM2,000 staff.如今，所有员工都受法令保障。实际影响是：法定最低福利，包括年假、病假、产假、公共假期、休息日与加班费，如今适用于全体员工，而不再只是月薪 RM2,000 以下的员工。

2. Working hours reduced from 48 to 45 per week二 · 每周工时从 48 小时减至 45 小时

The statutory maximum weekly working hours dropped from 48 to 45. For companies still operating six-day workweeks at 8 hours per day, this matters: you are now over the statutory ceiling unless you adjust.法定每周最高工时从 48 小时降至 45 小时。对仍实行每周六天、每天 8 小时的公司来说，这不是小事：不作调整，就已超出法定上限。

Overtime calculations, shift rostering, and weekly schedules should all be re-examined against the new 45-hour threshold. This is one of the most commonly missed compliance updates we see in HR audits.加班计算、排班表与每周班次，都应对照新的 45 小时门槛重新检视。这是我们在人力资源审计中最常见到被遗漏的合规更新之一。

3. Paid maternity leave expanded to 98 days三 · 有薪产假延长至 98 天

Maternity leave entitlement increased from 60 consecutive days to 98. This brings Malaysia closer to ILO recommendations and aligns with regional norms.产假从连续 60 天增至 98 天，使马来西亚更接近国际劳工组织（ILO）的建议，也与区域标准看齐。

The extension applies to eligible female employees, meaning women who have served at least 90 days in the four months immediately preceding delivery, and who were employed at any time in the four months before delivery. Review your maternity policy wording to ensure the 98-day figure is reflected and that the eligibility logic is correctly applied.延长适用于符合条件的女性员工，即分娩前四个月内服务至少 90 天、且分娩前四个月内任何时候受雇于公司的女性。请检视产假政策的措辞，确保已反映 98 天的天数，并正确套用资格判断。

4. Seven days of paid paternity leave introduced四 · 新增七天有薪陪产假

For the first time in Malaysian employment law, male employees are entitled to statutory paternity leave, seven consecutive days, paid, for up to five confinements. Eligibility requires at least 12 months of continuous service and that the employee is legally married to the spouse.马来西亚雇佣法史上首次，男性员工享有法定陪产假：连续七天、有薪，最多五次分娩。资格条件是连续服务至少 12 个月，且与配偶有合法婚姻关系。

Companies that offered no paternity leave, or only ad-hoc goodwill leave, need to add this to their policy as a statutory baseline. Companies that already offered paternity leave should check whether their existing policy meets or exceeds the statutory minimum.原本没有陪产假、或只有酌情恩恤假的公司，需要把这项法定底线写入政策。已有陪产假的公司，则应核对现行政策是否达到或超过法定最低标准。

5. The right to request flexible working arrangements五 · 申请弹性工作安排的权利

Employees now have the right to apply in writing for a flexible working arrangement, changes to working hours, days, or place of work. The employer must respond in writing within 60 days, either approving the request or giving reasons for refusal.员工如今有权以书面申请弹性工作安排，包括更改工作时间、工作日或工作地点。雇主必须在 60 天内书面回复，批准申请，或说明拒绝的理由。

Note what this does and does not mean. It does not create an automatic right to flexible work. It does create a procedural right to make the request and receive a reasoned reply. HR teams should have a standard response workflow in place.请注意这项条文的边界。它不是自动获得弹性工作的权利，而是提出申请并获得附理由回复的程序性权利。人力资源团队应当建立一套标准的回复流程。

6. Sexual harassment, expanded notice requirements六 · 性骚扰 · 扩大的告示要求

Employers must now display a conspicuous notice regarding sexual harassment at the workplace. The Act also clarifies the employer's obligation to investigate complaints and the forms of action available to both the complainant and the respondent.雇主如今必须在工作场所显眼处张贴性骚扰相关告示。法令同时厘清了雇主调查投诉的义务，以及投诉人与被投诉人双方可采取的行动。

Review: (a) whether your notice is actually displayed and visible, (b) whether your investigation protocol aligns with the procedural expectations in the Act, and (c) whether your HR team has been trained on handling these complaints without breaching confidentiality or natural justice.请检视：（一）告示是否确实张贴且清晰可见；（二）调查规程是否符合法令的程序要求；（三）人力资源团队是否已受训，能在不违反保密原则与自然公正的前提下处理此类投诉。

7. Forced labour provisions七 · 强迫劳动条款

New offences relating to forced labour were introduced, aligned with Malaysia's international commitments. Employers who threaten, deceive, or coerce employees to perform labour face penalties. For most legitimate employers, this is a background compliance point, but one that should be reflected in your code of conduct and supervisor training.修正案新增了与强迫劳动相关的罪行，以呼应马来西亚的国际承诺。以威胁、欺骗或胁迫手段迫使员工劳动的雇主将面临处罚。对绝大多数正当经营的雇主而言，这属于背景性的合规要点，但仍应写入行为准则并纳入主管培训。

What HR should do this quarterHR 本季度应做的事

Treat the 2022 amendments as a compliance baseline review, not a one-off memo. The practical to-do list:把 2022 年修正案当作一次合规基线检视，而不是一份一次性的通告。务实的待办清单如下：

• Audit employment contracts, especially templates used for new hires. Ensure hours, leave, and termination clauses reflect the amended Act审计雇佣合约，尤其是新员工使用的模板，确保工时、假期与终止条款符合修正后的法令
• Review policies, maternity, paternity, flexible work, sexual harassment. Rewrite anything that predates January 2023检视政策，产假、陪产假、弹性工作、性骚扰，凡早于 2023 年 1 月的一律改写
• Adjust payroll settings, overtime thresholds at 45 hours/week, correct leave accruals调整薪资系统设定，加班门槛改为每周 45 小时，并更正假期累计
• Display required notices, sexual harassment in particular张贴规定告示，尤其是性骚扰告示
• Train line managers, supervisors approve leave, grant or refuse flexible work requests, and receive harassment complaints. They need to know the rules培训部门主管，主管要批假、审批或拒绝弹性工作申请、接收骚扰投诉，他们必须懂规则

The amendments are generous, in most respects, they raise the floor for employees rather than add bureaucratic burden. Compliant employers gain credibility; non-compliant ones accumulate quiet risk until the first labour-court case exposes it.整体而言，修正案是宽厚的：它提高了员工保障的底线，而非增加官僚负担。合规的雇主赢得信誉；不合规的雇主则在无声中累积风险，直到第一宗劳资诉讼把它暴露出来。