Launched in 2022 by Prestine Davekhaw, MalaysianPAYGAP (MPG) is built on a simple idea: to break the taboo around salary transparency and encourage greater discussion in Malaysia and beyond.
With over 280,000 Instagram followers, you might have come across its viral “Salary Confession Cards” – anonymous submissions shared via direct messages, spanning professions from lawyers and data analysts to waiters and stay-at-home mothers.
At its core, the platform aims to help individuals better understand their market value through open, crowdsourced information. The idea grew out of Davekhaw’s own experiences as a freelance photographer.
“I had reached out to some fashion brands to pitch my portfolio, and they liked it, but their offer was very low. So I wondered, is this the market price? I asked other photographers, but they refused to tell me how much they charged,” she recalled.
“I talked to a few friends and they all told me this is just how Malaysia is. I wondered, why are you giving the upper hand to clients instead of your peers?”
Frustrated, Davekhaw began looking for alternatives, and soon noticed that freelancers overseas were openly sharing invoices and pricing on dedicated platforms. “This kind of education is important, so I took that idea and started MPG.”
Real sharings, real impact
While it initially helped her connect with other photographers, she also wanted the platform to represent other industries.
Within days, MPG gained traction, with thousands submitting salary data from across sectors. And it has since had a very real impact on people’s lives.
“Somebody told me that her doctor friend saw a video of us interviewing another doctor who made RM64,000 a month, and she realised she could never get to that stage. So she just quit being a doctor and went corporate,” Davekhaw shared.
From the beginning, Davekhaw was clear about keeping the content unfiltered. “To be sustainable, the content had to come from the people. So the easiest way for me to maintain a high output was just to screenshot people’s messages.”
To her, the platform is not just about salaries but about how information is shared.
“The overall mission is about how we should use social media as a powerful tool to spread useful information that can impact people’s lives. Salary transparency is one part of that,” she said.
Employment and empowerment
Before launching MPG, Davekhaw studied public relations and advertising in the United States, during which time she developed her photography skills, and eventually worked on fashion shows and editorial shoots.
Storytelling, she said, remains at the heart of what she does. A year after launching MPG, she introduced “Disappearing Cultures”, a documentary-style social media project that archives fading traditions and rituals across Asia.
“I think it’s really good to see that after we came to be, there are a whole lot of other pages that are really information- and knowledge-based,” she added.
Today, MPG continues to evolve, with deeper storytelling through its “Salary Roadtrips” interviews, career comparisons, and discussions around lesser-covered topics.
What began as a social media movement has since expanded into an HR-tech startup offering real-time salary benchmarking tools for both employees and employers.
“The long-term goal is to be an accreditation institution for companies, to check on their wage health and benefits to see if they provide a fair workplace for everybody,” Davekhaw said.
“Because no matter how much we empower individuals to take change into their own hands, if companies don’t have the awareness, we won’t see change.”
Learn more about MalaysianPAYGAP on Instagram and by clicking here.