The Chief Executive-in-Council has decided that pay for civil servants in the upper, middle and lower salary bands and the directorate should be frozen in 2021-22 with retrospective effect from April 1.

Announcing the pay freeze today, the Civil Service Bureau said the decision was reached after all relevant factors under the established annual civil service pay adjustment mechanism had been thoroughly considered.

Apart from the net pay trend indicators and the staff side’s response to the pay offers, the relevant factors for consideration also included the state of Hong Kong’s economy, the Government’s fiscal position, changes in the cost of living and civil service morale.

The Government has informed staff side representatives of the four central consultative councils and representatives of the four major service-wide staff unions of the decision. It will brief the Legislative Council Panel on Public Service on June 21.