Civil servants will receive 0.45-month mid-year bonus in July, which is a slightly lower amount than last year, the Public Service Division (PSD) announced in a press release on Thursday (13 May).
It also stated that they will also get a one-off lump sum payment of $200 for all civil servants. Lower-wage civil servants in Grades IV and V of the Operations Support Scheme (OSS) will receive a higher lump sum of $300.
SDP said that based on preliminary estimates, the Singapore economy grew by 1.2% in the first quarter of 2019 and is expected to grow by 1.5% to 2.5% for the full year.
“On the labour market front, total employment continued to grow. Overall unemployment rates and resident unemployment rates held steady, although the citizen unemployment rate inched up and retrenchments rose compared to the previous quarter,” it added.
The government stated that it against this backdrop and taking into consideration the recommendations of the National Wages Council, and in close consultation with the public sector unions.
The authority added that built-in wage increase of up to $50 for civil servants in Grade V of the OSS, over and above their annual increment.
PSD also said that the above mid-year payments signal the Government’s continued commitment to support the lower-wage civil servants, noting that around 1,400 civil servants will benefit from the higher lump sum payment.
It also noted that the Government will decide on the year-end Annual Variable Component (AVC) payment for civil servants after taking into consideration Singapore’s economic performance in the second half of 2019.
