A spokesman for the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) said that the bureau received the tentative results of the 2018 Pay Trend Survey from the secretariat of the Pay Trend Survey Committee (PTSC) today (May 16).

     The tentative results, presented in the form of "gross pay trend indicators", show the rates of pay adjustment in the private sector in three salary bands for the period from April 2, 2017, to April 1, 2018. The PTSC will meet next week to decide whether to validate the "gross pay trend indicators".

     "The civil service payroll cost of increments incurred in 2017-18 for each salary band (set out in the table below) will be deducted from the respective "gross pay trend indicators" to arrive at the "net pay trend indicators", which will continue to be one of the factors to be considered by the Chief Executive-in-Council in determining the 2018-19 civil service pay adjustment. Other factors include the state of Hong Kong's economy, the Government's fiscal position, changes in the cost of living, the pay claims of the staff side and civil service morale," the CSB spokesman said.

     "The Pay Trend Survey is effective and credible. Over the years, it has provided objective and reliable data on the annual pay movements of organisations in different sectors. The PTSC is a tripartite committee comprising representatives of the staff side of the four central consultative councils, the two independent advisory bodies (namely the Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service and the Standing Committee on Disciplined Services Salaries and Conditions of Service) and government officials. Every year before the Pay Trend Survey commences, the PTSC carefully reviews the survey arrangements in detail. All suggestions raised by members during the review process are thoroughly discussed by the PTSC," the CSB spokesman added.

     The 2017-18 civil service payroll cost of increments expressed by salary bands are tabulated below:
 

Salary band	Cost of increments as a percentage of the total civil service salary expenditure of the respective salary band of that year
Upper (monthly salary from $67,066 to $135,075)	1.19%
Middle (monthly salary from $21,880 to $67,065)	1.12%
Lower (monthly salary below $21,880)	2.05%

Ends/Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Issued at HKT 16:05

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