Fishing is also an important occupation. In the cities, Malay are becoming involved in factory work and in governmental jobs. Since much of Negeri Sembilan is covered by jungle, the Malay settle along the coast, rivers, and roads. In villages, houses are built on pilings four to eight feet off the ground and have thatched roofs. The more wealthy Malay have houses with tiled roofs and wooden planks for floors.
Local trade is conducted in the larger towns which have markets to serve the surrounding region.
An increasing number of Malay have settled in major cities. In sharp contrast to all other Malay, the Negeri Sembilian Malay have a matrilineal kinship system. This means that ancestry is traced through the female line, and inheritance is passed from mother to daughter. Unlike other Asian societies where daughters are seen as a burden, the Negeri Sembilian Malay consider it vital that a woman have a daughter so that she can keep her inheritance within her immediate family. When a woman has no daughters, her land and property pass to other female relatives after her death.