Singapore civil servants to get 0.3-month mid-year bonus
Junior-grade officers within the civil service will get an additional one-time payment of up to S$400.
SINGAPORE – All civil servants in Singapore will receive a mid-year bonus, or Annual Variable Component (AVC) of 0.3 months, the government announced on Monday (19 June).
The number, which was made in close consultation with the public sector unions, is slightly lower than the mid-year bonus of 0.35 months last year.
Civil servants in grades equivalent to MX13(I) and MX14 will get an additional one-time payment of S$200. Meanwhile, those in grades equivalent to MX15 and MX16, and those in the Operations Support Scheme (OSS) Grades III and IV will receive S$400.
"This mid-year payment takes into consideration the weakened economic outlook, and significant downside risks that remain in the global economy," the Public Service Division (PSD) said in a statement.
Singapore's economy, the PSD noted, expanded by 0.4 per cent on a year-on-year basis in the first quarter of 2023, moderating from a 2.1 per cent expansion in the previous quarter.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry has maintained a GDP growth forecast of "0.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent" for 2023, with growth likely to come in at around the mid-point of the forecast range.
"The assessment is that Singapore's external demand outlook for the rest of the year has weakened and downside risks have risen. The downside risks include the impact of tighter global financial conditions and the risk of further escalations in geopolitical tensions," the PSD additionally noted.
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"The labour market continued to expand in the first quarter of 2023, albeit at a more moderated pace compared to the previous quarter. Total employment expanded for the sixth consecutive quarter, and unemployment rates remained low."
"In deciding the year-end AVC payments, the government will continue to monitor the economic situation closely, and take into consideration the guidelines by the National Wages Council which will be released later in the year," the PSD said.
The Singapore public service employs about 150,000 public officers working in 16 ministries and more than 50 statutory boards. Within the public service is the civil service, which comprises about 86,000 officers working in the ministries.
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