Salary Adjustments Consistent with Need to Attract and Retain Talent – Finance Minister

Salary adjustments announced for the political directorate under the new public-sector compensation regime are consistent with the need to attract and retain talent at all levels, including leadership, to run the public bureaucracy.

This was stated by Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, in the House of Representatives on May 16, when he announced the new salary scales.

Dr. Clarke said an analysis conducted by Ernst and Young, consultants to the Government on public-sector restructuring, showed that compensation rates at the political and administrative senior levels under the previous regime “were the furthest away from market”.

He noted that this is consistent with “anecdotal evidence” and has been a “significant problem that has cost the country”.

The Minister pointed out that the political directorate, headed by the Prime Minister, is the policymaking arm of Government that sits atop the administrative tier.

Dr. Clarke said Permanent Secretaries, who have administrative control over the Ministries to which they are attached, are responsible for executing policy directions and ensuring the delivery of targeted outcomes coming from the political directorate.

“Though [both] roles differ, it’s a continuous chain, from the political directorate to the public officers. The political directorate provides the strategic directions for the public sector and is, therefore, part of the delivery of public services through the Jamaican public sector,” he continued.

Against this background, Dr. Clarke underscored the need to be able to attract “new blood” into the leadership levels of the public sector.

This, he explained, in order to infuse new ways of thinking, and “new ideas for the organisation’s own growth and development”.

“We need to also be able to attract persons to leadership, whether these persons are internal… or external to the organisation. For internal persons, outside of their own ambitions, they need to see that stepping up to leadership is worthwhile. And for external prospects, they too need to see that making a transition is worthwhile to step into leadership in public organisations,” the Minister said.

In this regard, Dr. Clarke maintained that persons need to be encouraged in making career moves into public leadership, “without putting their economic security at total risk”.

“As such, there has been a significant adjustment to the salary scales for the leadership level across the public sector. If the public sector is unable to retain its leadership, or to attract the most appropriate, experienced qualified leadership, the entire organisation is put in jeopardy,” he added.

Consequent on the adjustments for the political directorate over the period 2022/23 to 2024/25, the Prime Minister’s salary will increase from $9.16 million to $22.3 million, effective April 1, 2022; $25.2 million, effective April 1, 2023 and $28.5 million, effective April 1, 2024.

The Deputy Prime Minister’s salary will move from $8.03 million to $20.09 million in the first year, $22.7 million in the second year, and $25.7 million in year three, as will the emolument for the Leader of the Opposition.

The Minister of Finance will see adjustments of $19.2 million, up from $7.4 million, effective April 1, 2022; $21.7 million, effective April 1, 2023 and $24.5 million, effective April 1, 2024.

Cabinet Ministers and the House Speaker, who earn $6.8 million, will get increases amounting to $17.8 million in the first year; $20.2 million in the second year and $22.8 million in the third.

The salaries of Parliamentary Secretaries and the Deputy House Speaker will increase from $5.18 million to $13.3 million, effective April 1, 2022; $15.1 million, effective April 1, 2023 and $17.1 million, effective April 1, 2024.

Members of Parliament, who are now paid $4.3 million, will receive increases of $11.07 million, $12.5 million and $14.1 million, respectively, over the period.

Adjustments at the local level will see the salary of Kingston’s Mayor moving from $3.8 million to $8.9 million, $10.1 million, and $11.4 million respectively over the three years.

The salary for Montego Bay’s Mayor will move from $3.4 million to $8.1 million, $9.1 million and $10.3 million.

The Mayors of Portmore and other parish capitals will see their salaries move from $3.2 million to $7.7 million, $8.7 million, and $9.8 million.

Meanwhile, the salary for Kingston’s Deputy Mayor will increase from $2.3 million to $6.7 million, effective April 1, 2022; $7.5 million, with effect from April 1, 2023 and $8.01 million, effective April 1, 2024.

Montego Bay’s Deputy Mayor’s salary increases from $2.09 million to $6.2 million, $7.08 million, and $8.01 million, across the three years.

The salaries of the Deputy Mayor of Portmore and other parish capitals move from $1.9 million to $5.8 million in the first year, $6.5 million in the second, and $7.4 million in the third.

Parish Councillors, who now receive $1.6 million, will receive increases of $4.4 million, $5.06 million, and $5.72 million over the period.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of the Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation, will receive $8.9 million, $10.1 million, and $11.4 million over the three years.

Dr. Clarke, who indicated that the increases total $1.7 billion, advised that previous allowances paid to members, including for housing and telephone, will be discontinued effective April 1, 2022.