Singapore civil servants to get 1.05-month bonus; juniors get extra $600
Civil servants will get 1.05 months of a year-end bonus, the Public Service Division (PSD) announced in a statement on Nov 25.
Junior officers in grades equivalent to MX15 and MX16 and those in the Operations Support Scheme will also receive an additional one-time payment of $600 (US$445).
With the mid-year bonus of 0.45 months, civil servants will receive a total of 1.5 months of bonus in 2024, up from 0.9 months in 2023.
Junior grade officers received up to $250 in additional payment in June, so they will receive up to $850 in total in 2024.
PSD said the Government will continue to adopt a “progressive approach” in determining the bonus payment, in line with the National Wages Council’s recommendation to uplift lower-wage workers’ salaries.
It added that the year-end payment also took into consideration the better-than-expected performance of the Singapore economy in the first three quarters of the year, as well as the latest global and domestic economic situations.
Singapore’s gross domestic product growth forecast for 2024 was raised to “around 3.5 %” from a previous range of 2 % to 3 %, the Ministry of Trade and Industry said on Nov 22.
The Ministry of Manpower’s preliminary labour market data in October also showed that total employment in the July to September period grew by 24,100, more than doubling the growth of 11,300 in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, unemployment rates in September remained low at 1.8 %, while the number of retrenchments in the third quarter fell 11.3 % to 2,900 from 3,270 in the second quarter.
Amalgamated Union of Public Employees general secretary Sanjeev Kumar Tiwari said “It is important that when our economy does well, our civil servants who have contributed to this success are rewarded accordingly”.
He added that the additional one-time payout will help junior officers manage the rising cost of living.
NTUC and public sector unions also support the payout decision, said deputy secretary-general Cham Hui Fong.
She encouraged civil servants to enhance their skills and capabilities through upskilling programs so that they could remain competitive and ready for future challenges.
PSD said the Government will continue to pay the one-month non-pensionable annual allowance – or 13th-month bonus – to all civil servants.
Gabrielle Andres
The Straits Times
Asia News Network
