Civil servants get 1 month year-end bonus, lower-wage officers to get additional S$500

CIVIL servants in Singapore will receive a 1 month year-end bonus this year, with junior grade officers to receive an additional payment of S$500.

This bonus payout recognises public officers' contributions amid the pandemic, the Public Service Division (PSD) said in a media release on Thursday.

It also noted that Singapore's economy remains on track for a recovery this year.

"Over the past year, public officers have continued to dedicate themselves to the national fight against Covid-19 and have worked tirelessly to keep Singapore and Singaporeans safe," said the statement.

The PSD also highlighted that gross domestic product was up by 7.1 per cent in the third quarter. The Ministry of Trade and Industry has also updated its growth forecast to "around 7 per cent" for the year.

Resident employment also grew more quickly in the third quarter, particularly in outward-oriented industries, while unemployment rates fell for the second consecutive month in September.

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Lower-wage civil servants, including those in grades equivalent to MX15 and MX16, as well as those in OSS Grades III and IV, will receive an additional one-time lump-sum payment of S$500.

Taken together with the mid-year payments, civil servants will receive a total of 1.3 months in bonuses for the full year, with junior grade officers receiving an additional one-time payment of up to S$1,200 for the year.

Civil servants will also get the non-pensionable annual allowance, better known as the 13th-month payment.

The bonus payment in public service is sometimes used as a reference guide for private sector.

In response to the announcement, the National Trades Union Congress' (NTUC) deputy secretary-general Cham Hui Fong said it is "notable" that the government has taken the cue from the National Wages Council's recommendations to do more for lower-income earners.

"We also call on private sector companies to take the cue in appreciating and supporting their workers this year-end," Cham said.

Sanjeev Kumar Tiwari, general secretary of the Amalgamated Union of Public Employees said the boost in bonus payouts to junior grade officers is "a much-needed encouragement for our civil servants as Singapore's economy is still in recovery".

Civil servants did not receive mid-year nor year-end bonuses last year due to economic uncertainties. Lower-wage civil servants however were given a one-time payment of S$1,200 then, to support them in tiding through the pandemic.