One‑time wage adjustment for civil servants

Oral Reply to Parliamentary Question on one-time wage adjustment for civil servants

Parliamentary Sitting: 28 Nov 2022

Mr Ang Wei Neng: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Public Service Division will be considering a one-time wage adjustment for all civil servants to offset the anticipated high core inflation rate in 2022.

Oral Reply by Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Education and Minister-in-charge of the Public Service.

Mr Speaker, Sir. The Civil Service periodically reviews salaries and adjusts them when necessary to keep pace with, but not lead, the market. The recent salary adjustments for various groups of civil servants were determined based on salary gaps with market benchmarks. Beyond these adjustments, eligible officers also receive Annual Variable Component (AVC) payments and annual salary increments that take into consideration their performance, prevailing economic and labour market conditions and the National Wages Council’s recommendations on progressive wage growth.

In total, the salary increases arising from the recent salary reviews and annual salary increments, coupled with annual AVC payments, will more than exceed the inflation rate seen this year for all the civil servants who meet the criteria.

The Government has also rolled out a series of support measures this year, such as the recently announced Cost-of-Living Special Payment and additional CDC Vouchers. These support measures, together, will help cushion the impact of sharp inflation changes and provide further relief for Singaporean households, with more support for the lower- to middle- income groups.