First it was the announcement that the ministers and top civil servants pay will be increased. As damage control gesture (who knows???) PM Lee announced that he will donate his next 5 years pay increment to charity. But many of my peers know that by donating he gets tax exemption and he wins also….haha…smart move sir! Anyway, the latest news on civil service’s fresh grads pay will be increased also seems to be another damage control act (who knows????). Lets see if ‘young talents’ will weigh their choices and consider ’sacrifice’ to join the civil service.
Another sad Cheesebun……
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Fresh grads in Civil Service to get higher pay
Starting pay for fresh graduates joining the Civil Service from June 1 will go up by between 7 per cent and 24 per cent .
Those with good honours who join the Management Executive Scheme, a scheme for graduates employed across many ministries, can start at $2,800, up from the current $2,410. Other graduate schemes will see increases between $230 and $620, said a statement from the Public Service Division today.
New hires in the engineering profession scheme will be paid 24 per cent more – from the current $2,570 to $3,190, while a good honours degree holder in the Foreign Service will start with $3,320 – up 20 per cent from the current $2,760. (see chart below).
The starting salary of accountants in the Civil Service has already been raised on May 1, from $2,640 for a good honours degree to $2,910.
Starting salaries were last adjusted in June 2006.
The actual salary offered to recruits will take into consideration their work experience, educational qualifications, National Service and relevant skills, said the PSD.
Appropriate adjustments will also be made to the salaries of officers recruited in recent years before June 1.
“These adjustments are part of the annual salary review to make sure that salaries keep pace with the market. The Singapore economy has performed well over the past year, with increased hiring and salaries in many sectors,” said the PSD statement.
Mr Teo Chee Hean, Minister-in-charge of the Civil Service, when announcing the pay hike for ministers and civil serants in April, said competition for fresh university graduates was getting more intense.
He said that the civil service’s overall resignation rate had gone up from 4.8 per cent in 2005 to 5.7 per cent last year. At some of the entry grades, Mr Teo said the situation was quite serious, with resignation as high as 25 per cent.
“We need to act before the situation becomes more serious. The Government, as an employer, has to respond quickly and decisively to stay competitive and close the wage gaps. Otherwise, we will deplete the service of the able people we need, and the service level to the public will be affected,” said the Minister in Parliament.
The more attractive pay seems to be paying off. From March to April 2007, the Civil Service recieved a 7 per cent increase in applications via its job portal, from 1,440 applicants to 1,540.
» Chart: Monthly Starting Salaries by Schemes of Service (With effect from Jun 1, 2007)
- May 21, 2007 AsiaOne
