Singapore’s government ministers are set to receive their first pay increase in 15 years, with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong arguing that competitive salaries are necessary to attract talented people into politics.
Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, Wong said a revised salary framework will raise the benchmark annual pay for an entry-level minister from 1.1 million Singapore dollars ($868,330) to 1.8 million Singapore dollars ($1.42 million).
The benchmark salary for the prime minister will also increase significantly, climbing from 2.2 million Singapore dollars ($1.7 million) to 3.6 million Singapore dollars ($2.8 million).
The increases will apply to government ministers who are elected lawmakers responsible for leading ministries and shaping national policy. Allowances for other lawmakers are also expected to rise.
However, political officeholders will not immediately receive the full new benchmark salaries. Beginning Oct. 15, they will instead receive a one-time adjustment of up to 9%, with individual increases determined by factors including performance and responsibilities.
Wong said he expects most ministers at the lowest grade to earn about 1.35 million Singapore dollars ($1.06 million) by the end of the current government term. Future salaries will continue to depend on performance and responsibilities rather than automatically rising to the 1.8 million Singapore dollar benchmark.
Ministerial salaries have long been a sensitive subject in Singapore, where political leaders are paid considerably more than most citizens. The prime minister is also among the world’s highest-paid national leaders.
Singapore’s government has defended its compensation system, saying competitive salaries help attract highly qualified candidates from the private and public sectors while supporting high standards of government integrity.
Wong said Singapore has chosen to handle political compensation transparently, without undisclosed salary components or benefits outside the publicly stated framework.
