SINGAPORE – Civil servants will get a slightly lower mid-year bonus of 0.45 month this year compared to previous years.

They will also get a one-off payment ranging from $200 to $300, with those in the lower divisions getting more.

Last year, civil servants received a mid-year bonus of half a month’s pay, plus one-off payments ranging from $300 to $500.

The lower mid-year payments, which will be made in July, come as Singapore recorded lower-than-expected economic growth of 1.2 per cent in the first quarter of this year based on preliminary estimates.

Amid global trade tensions and an electronics slowdown, the economy is expected to grow by 1.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent for the full year.

While the total employment has continued to grow with overall unemployment rates and resident unemployment rates holding steady, the citizen unemployment rate inched up and retrenchments rose compared to the previous quarter.

It is against this backdrop that the Government will be making the mid-year payments, said the Public Service Division (PSD) in a statement on Thursday (June 13).

The PSD added that it had considered recommendations from the National Wages Council, and had close consultations with the public sector unions.

About 1,400 officers who earn lower wages – in Grades IV and V of the Operations Support Scheme – will receive a one-off payment of $300.

In addition, civil servants in Grade V of the OSS will get a built-in wage increase of up to $50 above their annual increment.

“The above mid-year payments signal the Government’s continued commitment to support our lower-wage civil servants,” said the PSD.

All other civil servants will get a one-off payment of $200.

The Government will decide on the year-end Annual Variable Component payment for civil servants after taking into consideration Singapore’s economic performance in the second half of the year, said the PSD.