Hong Kong civil servants still in line for pay rise of up to 2 per cent, but recommended increase is lowest in 10 years
- Raises prescribed by annual survey come as city reels from double blow of coronavirus pandemic after months of political unrest
- But an Executive Council member and a union have called for salaries to be frozen, saying civil servants should share the pain with other citizens
Hong Kong’s public sector employees could still be in line for a pay rise of up to nearly 2 per cent for the coming year if the results of an annual survey are adopted – but even if they do, the increases will be the lowest in a decade.
The recommended pay increases of between 1.15 per cent and 1.98 per cent, submitted on Tuesday to the official Pay Trend Survey Committee, came as the city’s economy reels from the double blow of the coronavirus pandemic after months of political unrest that had pushed it into recession.
The city’s latest jobless rate was 5.2 per cent, while the economy shrank 8.9 per cent in the first quarter.
But an Executive Council member and a union have called for salaries to be frozen, saying civil servants should share the pain with other residents.
Based on the survey, the highest earners in the civil service should receive a 1.68 per cent pay increase, while those in the middle ranks should have a 1.98 per cent rise and the lowest earners should get 1.15 per cent – the lowest for frontline and middle-ranking staff since 2010, when rises were 0.56 per cent. Senior officers received a 1.6 per cent rise that year.