Government decides not to proceed with Stage 2 of Civil Service Pay Level Survey
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The Standing Commission recommended earlier that Stage 2 of the current PLS should not be proceeded with, in view of the severe and unprecedented turbulence in the current labour market which has had an impact on market pay practices and levels and in turn the timeliness and accuracy of pay-related data to be collected in the private sector, and that the effect of the talent and labour-trawling measures introduced by the Government in recent years on restoring the stability of the labour market is yet to be observed. The Standing Commission considered that the reconvening of another round of the PLS should be subject to review of relevant circumstances (including the then overall labour market conditions). Noting that a number of talent-trawling measures were introduced for two years tentatively, the Standing Commission recommended the Government to revisit the conditions in a reasonable period of time for the conduct of a PLS.
"The Government accepts the recommendations of the Standing Commission in full after holistic consideration on its prudent and in-depth analysis and the valuable comments from various stakeholders. The Government is grateful for the Standing Commission's work and the participation of various stakeholders," a spokesperson of the Civil Service Bureau said.
The Standing Commission decided in 2020 to accept the Government's invitation to conduct a new round of Civil Service PLS and to adopt a two-stage approach. Stage 1 of the PLS was disrupted by the pandemic and eventually completed in end-2023. The Standing Commission later submitted its Report No. 66 to the CE on February 6, 2024, to recommend on whether and when to proceed with Stage 2. Upon consulting the staff-side representatives and relevant stakeholders, the CE in Council made the above decision today in relation to the way forward for Stage 2 of the PLS.
Ends/Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Issued at HKT 18:30
Issued at HKT 18:30
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