CE in Council confirms flat 2% salary rise for civil servants

The Chief Executive in Council confirms all civil servants will receive a uniform salary rise of 2%, starting retrospectively from April 1.

In a statement, the Civil Service Bureau says the Chief Executive in Council has balanced economic-related factors and civil servants' response before making the final decision on the pay rise level.

Meanwhile, some legislators question the Civil Service Bureau about the purpose of its pay adjustment mechanism -- the pay trend survey -- during a Legislative Council meeting.

Lam Chun-sing, a legislator representing the election committee constituency, says "After 2020, most of the time the PTI was not adopted. More often, the actual adjustment is quite different from the net PTI (pay trend indicator). What role does the PTS (pay trend survey) play?"

Ingrid Yeung, Secretary for the Civil Service, says "Each year comes with different challenges. After 2020, the challenges are magnified. The epidemic has brought challenges and an impact on our economy. After the epidemic, yes, the economy has recovered and on the right track. However, the pace of recovery is uneven. We have to act prudently, we have to keep in mind the future predicted trend."

Lam Wai-kong, a legislator representing the labour sector, says " A lot of civil servants are under tremendous stress. Pay adjustment will have an impact on recruitment and retention. Will there be more favourable conditions to attract people of the right calibre to join the civil service?"

Ingrid Yeung, Secretary for the Civil Service, says " I have spoken to some people. They think that our salary is attractive. I don't see the pay adjustment this time will have a huge impact on the attractiveness of the civil service."

The government will submit the 2026-27 civil service pay adjustment arrangement to the Legco Finance Committee for consideration.