On 20th June 2022, the Public Service Division (PSD) announced that civil servants in Singapore will be entitled to a mid-year bonus of 0.35 month. Though the difference is small, it is still higher than the 0.3-month payout in 2021.
How is the bonus for civil servants calculated? This bonus considers the official gross domestic product (GDP) forecast for 2022, which is estimated at 3 – 5 per cent by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI). In short, this annual variable component that is paid twice-yearly takes reference to economic growth rates. The private sector is known to use it as a reference for their bonus packages (if any) too.
One-time extra payments
Junior officers in grades equivalent to MX13(I) and MX14 will get an extra one-time payment of S$200. This number was S$350 last year. For those in MX15 and MX16 or Operations Support Scheme Grades III to V will get an extra one-time payment of S$400. This number was S$700 last year. Who qualifies as a junior officer? Junior officers refer to entry-level ranks, typically fresh graduates, and diploma holders.
The PSD said that it would continue to monitor the economic situation and review the guidelines put forth by the National Wages Council to determine the year-end bonus. Last year, the civil service year-end bonus was 1 month, with junior officers getting a one-time S$500.
Ms Cham Hui Fong, Deputy Secretary-General at the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) responded that the bonus was a timely recognition of civil servants’ dedication in serving Singapore tirelessly during the pandemic period.
Civil Servant? Public Servant?
You might have heard these terms being used interchangeably, but do you know the difference?
The Civil Service (87,000 officers) is a subset within the Public Service (153,000 officers). Civil Servants usually refers to people working in government ministries and organs of state. Public Servants refer to those who work in statutory boards like the CPF, IRAS, NParks.
Civil or Public, they serve Singapore wholeheartedly. The difference between public/civil servants and corporate workers is their respective key performance indicators (KPI). In the civil service, it is not for profit. The corporate sector on the other hand, KPI is almost always tied to profit or business function. For example, our firefighters, who are public servants – their KPI is, for example, their response time from getting a call to putting out the fire. This may be just one of their KPI.
As we watch the economic cautiously, let’s hope that it turns for the better towards the end of the year, and all workers can receive their well-deserved bonus(es) for the hard work they have put in for 2022!
A young Singaporean concerned about issues workers face. As humans, we spend a third of our lives sleeping and recharging, and another third for our personal life, and the last third at work (based on a 24-hr distribution). That’s why we should pay attention to issues surrounding work.
