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Kolette Lim

Singapore’s ministers will receive gradual pay increases following a 60 per cent jump in their baseline salary benchmarks, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has announced.
The entry-level ministerial salary benchmark will rise to S$1.8 million (US$1.4 million) from S$1.1 million, while the prime minister’s pay benchmark will increase to S$3.6 million from S$2.2 million, in line with recommendations made by an independent committee.
Wong said during a ministerial statement in parliament on Tuesday that he would donate the increase in his salary to “suitable good causes” but did not expect other political office holders to follow suit.
“Political salaries are a difficult and emotive issue. The sums involved are more than what most citizens earn, so I understand why Singaporeans scrutinise them closely and why many feel strongly about the matter,” he said.
Wong said as the prime minister he held “ultimate responsibility” for the salary framework. “So I want to be clear about how I will personally handle the increase and why I am taking these changes forward, because I believe they are in Singapore’s interests.”
The review was conducted by an eight-member committee formed in January, after a deferment amid geopolitical uncertainty arising from the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. The review, which is held once every five years, was initially set for 2023.
Wong said the government had accepted the committee’s recommendations, but it did not intend to implement them all at once.
The recommendations will take effect on October 15, starting with a one-off increase of up to 9 per cent, depending on factors such as performance and past adjustments. Subsequent increases will be made based on individual performance and responsibilities.
Wong said the S$1.8 million benchmark was not a target for every minister, projecting that most junior ministers’ pay would fall at the lower end of the range – at about S$1.35 million – by the end of this term.
Starting October 15, members of parliament will also see their monthly allowances rise to S$18,500 (US$14,600) from S$13,750.
Following Wong’s announcement, Coordinating Minister for Public Services Chan Chun Sing explained that the adjustment accounted for inflation. He said in a statement that it was a “practical update to ensure that MPs are adequately supported in discharging their duties on the ground”.
The salaries of Singapore’s political office holders, among the highest in the world, have long stirred public debate.
About 35 per cent of a minister’s salary consists of variable components, including an individual performance bonus and a national bonus. The national bonus is linked to socio-economic indicators, such as the growth rate of residents’ median income and Singapore’s real gross domestic product.

US President Donald Trump reportedly draws US$400,000 a year while in office, whereas the British prime minister makes around US$235,000.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu takes home HK$452,200 (US$57,680) a month, as reported by his office in 2022, bringing his annual salary to more than US$690,000. Japan’s Sanae Takaichi earned 36.4 million yen (US$233,000) last year, local media reported, citing parliamentary reports.
Singapore benchmarks ministerial pay against its top 1,000 highest-earning citizens, based on the premise that the qualities and abilities of the cream of the crop “reflect the desired calibre of the people whom Singapore needs for good government”, according to the Public Service Division.
Following the 2011 general election and simmering public discontent, then prime minister Lee Hsien Loong appointed an independent committee to review ministerial salaries.
Political office-holders’ salaries were last adjusted after a 2012 review, slashing politicians’ pay by more than 30 per cent. Lee’s salary of US$3 million was cut to US$2.2 million.
These were reviewed again in 2017, but remained unchanged despite the committee recommending an increase in line with rising benchmark salaries.
The government has long maintained that hefty pay cheques are necessary to attract talent and deter corruption seen in countries in the region.
If the personal and financial sacrifices become too large, many capable people will simply choose to do something else
Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong
Wages in the public and private sectors had risen over the years, Wong said, causing ministerial salaries – which were last adjusted in 2012 – to “fall further behind”. Some permanent secretaries were now earning more than ministers, he added.
On Tuesday, Wong reinforced the importance of selecting individuals of the right calibre to join the cabinet, noting that other countries often struggled to find such talent.
He said leadership renewal was among his top priorities, recalling that there had been a lack of younger ministers to succeed their senior counterparts when he first took the helm.
Before last year’s general election, Wong said he had tried to recruit multiple chief executives and senior business leaders, but was turned down by all of them.
“The reduction in political salaries in 2012, followed by 15 years without adjustments to the benchmark, did not make the task any easier,” he said.
“Politics must remain a calling to serve our fellow citizens. But if the personal and financial sacrifices become too large, many capable people will simply choose to do something else.”


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First pay update since 2012 aims to ensure political salaries do not ‘fall further behind’ market rates, the prime minister says


First pay update since 2012 aims to ensure political salaries do not ‘fall further behind’ market rates, the prime minister says.


Singapore ministers set for pay rise with entry-level pay up to US$1.4 million

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}First pay update since 2012 aims to ensure political salaries do not ‘fall further behind’ market rates, the prime minister says

First pay update since 2012 aims to ensure political salaries do not ‘fall further behind’ market rates, the prime minister says