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The Government announced today (May 15) the new starting salaries for recruits to some grades in the civil service.
This follows the endorsement by the Chief Executive-in-Council of the findings of the recently completed Starting Salaries Survey (SSS), which used April 1, 2006 as the reference date, and on their application to the civil service.
Very briefly, the starting salaries of some civilian grades and most disciplined grades will be increased by one to at most five pay points. The starting salaries of other grades will remain unchanged. There is no grade whose starting salary will be adjusted downwards.
"The adjustments to the starting salaries are in accordance with the findings of the 2006 Starting Salaries Survey. Adjusting starting salaries for the civil service in accordance with prevailing comparable entry pay in the private sector is in line with our pay policy of offering remuneration sufficient to attract, retain and motivate staff of a suitable calibre to provide the public with an effective and efficient service," said Secretary for the Civil Service, Miss Denise Yue.
The upward revision in starting salaries for some grades will affect around 12,200 civil servants who joined the entry ranks of these grades on or after April 1, 2000 and who are still serving in the entry ranks. In general, the salary of the affected civil servants, if it is below the new starting salary for their respective ranks, will be brought up to the same level as the new starting salary. The salary of the affected civil servants, if it is the same or higher than the new starting salary for their respective ranks, will be increased by one pay point subject to the maximum pay point of the concerned ranks.
The new starting salaries and the conversion arrangement for affected serving civil servants are supported by the civil service pay-related advisory bodies (namely the Steering Committee on Civil Service Pay Adjustment Mechanism, the Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service, and the Standing Committee on Disciplined Services Salaries and Conditions of Service). The staff representatives of the four central consultative councils and various service-wide civil service unions have also been consulted through the Consultative Group on Civil Service Pay Adjustment Mechanism, our established consultation platform on civil service pay adjustment issues, on the new starting salaries and the salary conversion arrangement for affected serving civil servants.
The Government will put the new starting salaries and the salary adjustment arrangement for the affected 12,200 serving civil servants to the Legislative Council (LegCo) for approval in the coming weeks. The new starting salaries will come into being on the first day of the month immediately following LegCo's approval.
"To ensure that civil service starting salaries stay closely in line with the market entry pay, we will conduct a SSS every three years. With the regular conduct of SSSs, the delinking arrangement, under which starting salaries are not adjusted in line with the annual civil service pay adjustment, will be discontinued," Miss Yue said.
Background information
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All civilian grades in the civil service are classified into 12 qualification groups (QG). The benchmark pay for each qualification group is set having regard to the entry pay at upper quartile (i.e. P75) of the relevant jobs in the market requiring similar qualifications and experience. For those qualification groups without private sector comparators, their benchmark pay will be set through established internal relativities with other QGs.
When the benchmark of a QG is determined, the starting salaries of the civil service grades in that QG are set out on par with, or at one or more pay points higher than (where justified for reasons of special job requirements or recruitment difficulties), the said benchmark.
Based on the findings of the 2006 SSS and the established internal relativities within the 12 QGs, the benchmarks for nine of them will need to be revised upwards, while the benchmarks for the remaining three will remain unchanged. Details are set out below:
Existing New
QGs Benchmark Benchmark
--- --------- ---------
QG 1:Grades MPS 0 MPS 1
not requiring ($7,674) ($8,150)
5 passes in
HKCEE
(e.g. Clerical
Assistant,
Postman)
QG 2:School MPS 2 MPS 3
Certificate ($8,675) ($9,245)
Grades
Group I:
requiring 5
passes in HKCEE
(e.g. Assistant
Clerical Officer,
Postal Officer)
Group II:
requiring 5
passes in HKCEE
plus considerable
experience
(e.g. Confidential
Assistant,
Assistant Taxation
Officer)
QG 3:Higher MPS 11 MPS 13
Diploma and ($15,215) ($17,145)
Diploma Grades (for higher (for higher
Group I: diploma) diploma)
Higher Diploma MPS 6 MPS 8
Grades ($11,170) ($12,690)
(e.g. Dental (for (for
Therapist, diploma) diploma)
Physiotherapist)
Group II:
Diploma Grades
(e.g. Technical
Officer,
Survey Officer)
QG 4:Technical MPS 11 MPS 13
Inspectorate and ($15,215) ($17,145)
Related Grades:
Higher
Certificate plus
experience
(e.g. Assistant
Clerks of Works,
Assistant Inspector
of Works)
QG 5:Technicians, MPS 6 MPS 6
Supervisory ($11,170) ($11,170)
and Related (i.e. no
Grades change)
Group I:
Certificate or
apprenticeship
plus experience
(e.g.Amenities
Assistant III,
Works Supervisor II)
QG 6:Technician, MPS 5 MPS 5
Supervisory ($10,505) ($10,505)
and Related (i.e. no
Grades change)
Group II:
Craft and skill
plus experience,
or apprenticeship
plus experience
(e.g. Artisan,
Motor Driver)
QG 7:Grades MPS 4 MPS 8
requiring 2 ($9,845) ($12,690)
passes at
Advanced Level
in HK Advanced
Level Examination
plus 3 credits
in HKCEE (2A3O)
(e.g. Court Prosecutor,
Liaison Officer II)
QG 8:Professional MPS 22 MPS 27
and Related ($26,540) ($33,355)
Grades
Group I:
Membership of a
professional
institution or
equivalent
(e.g. Treasury
Accountant,
Government Counsel)
Group II:
Grades with Pay
Structure Related
to Grades in
Group I
(e.g. Economist,
Administrative Officer)
QG 9: Degree MPS 11 MPS 16
and Related ($15,215) ($19,860)
Grades
(e.g. Executive
Officer II,
Assistant Labour
Officer II)
QG 10:Model MOD 0 MOD 0
Scale 1 ($8,144) ($8,144)
Grades (i.e. no
(e.g. Workman II, change)
Ganger)
QG 11:Education MPS 11 MPS 16
Grades ($15,215) ($19,860)
(for both (for degree
degree and grades)
non-degree
grades)
MPS 13
($17,145)
(for
non-degree
grades)
QG 12: Other varies varies
Grades
(e.g. Air
Traffic Control
Officer III,
Assistant
Information
Officer)
* MPS refers to the Master Pay Scale, and MOD refers to the Model Scale 1 Pay Scale
Similar to the 1999 SSS, the 2006 SSS did not cover the disciplined services grades in view of the lack of comparators in the market. The starting salaries of these grades will be adjusted through the same formulation as adopted for the 1999 SSS.
Ends/Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Issued at HKT 16:45
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