CIVIL servants in Singapore will receive a 0.3-month mid-year bonus, with junior grade officers set to get an additional one-time payment of up to S$400, the Public Service Division (PSD) said on Monday (Jun 19).

The payouts follow close consultation with public sector unions, PSD said. Last year’s mid-year annual variable component (AVC) payout amounted to 0.35 month.

Civil servants in grades equivalent to MX13(I) and MX14 will receive an additional one-time payment of S$200. Those in grades equivalent to MX15 and MX16 as well as those in the Operations Support Scheme Grades III and IV, will receive a higher one-time payment of S$400. This is on par with last year’s payout.

“This mid-year payment takes into consideration the weakened economic outlook, and significant downside risks that remain in the global economy,” PSD said.

Singapore’s first-quarter growth missed the mark with a 0.4 per cent year-on-year expansion, slowing from the previous quarter’s 2.1 per cent growth.

PSD noted the Ministry of Trade & Industry’s assessment that Singapore’s external demand outlook for the rest of the year has weakened, whereas downside risks have risen.

GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY

Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign UpVIEW ALL

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, PSD said.

In a statement, Cham Hui Fong, deputy secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) called the 0.3-month mid-year bonus a “cautious and fair amount to recognise the contributions” of civil servants.

“NTUC continues to emphasise the importance of training where employees should reskill and upskill themselves. This is so they can have better work prospects and remain employable,” she said.

Separately, the Amalgamated Union of Public Employees (AUPE) said it has agreed with the government “to take a cautious view... with a slightly conservative” AVC payout for civil servants amid the economic slowdown, its secretary-general Sanjeev Kumar Tiwari said.

Noting that AUPE is “appreciative” of the government’s decision on the payouts to civil servants, he said: “This will help them with some of the rising costs of living.”

He added that the union will continue to monitor the economic situation and “hope for better outcomes at the end of the year”. It will also continue working with the government to “provide greater recognition for our officers”, he said.