No mid-year bonus for civil servants; pay cuts for senior officers

None of Singapore's 85,000 civil servants will receive any mid-year bonus this year, amid the economic gloom caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The last time this happened was in 2009 during the global financial crisis.

Public officers in superscale grades will also take a one-time 0.5-month or one-month pay cut in accordance with their seniority, the Public Service Division (PSD) announced yesterday.

This comes on top of the earlier 0.5-month pay cut taken by senior public service officers in key leadership positions - that included permanent secretaries, deputy secretaries and chief executive officers of statutory boards - which was announced in February.

The PSD said the decision was taken by the Government in close consultation with the public sector unions, and the public service stands in solidarity with the rest of the nation during this difficult period.

"The Government appreciates the hard work and sacrifices of public officers in the fight against Covid-19, including those working on the front line and behind the scenes," it said, adding that efforts would be made to recognise the good work of officers.

Last year's mid-year annual variable component (AVC), which was paid in July, was 0.45 month plus a one-off lump sum of $200, with lower-grade workers getting $300.

Civil servants also got a 0.1 month year-end bonus that was the lowest in 10 years, plus an additional one-off lump-sum payment of between $250 and $1,500.

PSD said that in deciding on the year-end AVC payments later this year, the Government will take into consideration the National Wages Council's recommendations to give special consideration for lower-wage workers.

As the civil service is Singapore's biggest employer, its bonus is closely watched by the private sector, while statutory boards and other government agencies take their cue from it.