Dear readers, the Civil Service 2021 Year End Bonus is likely to be announced soon. Around this time every year, near the announcement of 2021 Civil Service Year End Bonus, I am particularly interested to know the bonus quantum since the quantum of Civil Service Year End Bonus 2021 is likely to be referenced by the private sector as well.
Before I proceed on my take on the 2021 Year End Singapore Civil Service Bonus, let us recall what was paid for 2020 Year-End Civil Service Bonus: there was no year-end bonus for all civil servants though there was the usual “13th month” payment and lower-wage civil servants received a one-time payment of $1,200.
Notwithstanding the above, there was a 2021 Mid Year Singapore Civil Service Bonus paid out to civil servants this year (year 2021): a 0.3-month mid-year bonus for the Civil Service with civil servants in more junior grades receiving one-time payment of $350 or $700.
Given that a mid-year civil service bonus was earlier paid out this year and that Singapore is currently in the stabilization phase towards living with Covid-19, I am of the view that there will be a Year-End 2021 bonus paid out to Singapore civil servants.
As for the quantum of the 2021 Singapore Year-End bonus? Well, we could perhaps reference to what was paid out for 2019 Year-end Singapore Civil Service bonus. Back then, due to the prevailing economic uncertainties, civil servants below superscale grade received a year-end bonus of 0.1 month and an additional one-off lump sum payment of $250 to $1,500, with civil servants in the lower pay grades receiving a higher amount. Senior civil servants in superscale grades received a one-off payment of $400 in place of a year-end bonus.
Let us travel a little more to Year 2018: Civil servants received a year-end bonus of 1 month and lower-wage civil servants received a year-end payment of $1,800.
There we have it: a 1-month year-end bonus for civil servants in 2018 (in normal times), a 0.1 month year-end bonus for civil servants in 2019 (in a year with economic uncertainities) and not mentioning, no year-end bonus for civil service in 2020.
Hence, given my opinion that a year-end bonus for civil servants is likely to be paid this year (since a mid-year bonus has already been given out this year), I predict that a year-end bonus for 2021 for civil servants to be between the quantum of 0.1 month (given for 2019) and 1 month (given for 2018).
With Singapore’s economy reported to be showing some signs of growth, I predict a quantum of Year-end 2021 Singapore Civil Service bonus to be in the higher half of 0.5 month to 1 month. I would think a 1-month year-end bonus is unlikely since we are not in the normal state of economy yet, hence my final prediction will be for a 0.5 to 0.7 month for civil service year-end bonus 2021.
But I would not rule out a higher bonus payout (say a one-month year-end bonus) for frontline workers for Covid-19 given recent proposals to recognise the efforts of them in their fight against Covid-19 with higher monetary incentives.
I hope everyone in both public and private sectors have some form of year-end bonus this year as ever since Covid-19, many of us may not have an easy time!
Do continue to Stay Safe, Stay Healthy!