| Commonly adopted pay policies, structures and systems | ||||||
|
|
Australia |
Canada |
New Zealand |
Singapore |
United |
Summary |
|
Is pay administration devolved -
- for Civil Servants? |
Substantially devolved – Departments and Agencies largely determine own pay policies within guidelines | No – pay policy remains largely centrally determined (this is currently under review) | Highly devolved – Departments and Agencies largely determine own pay policies within guidelines | Moderate devolution –some local flexibility; central agencies remain influential | Highly devolved – Departments and Agencies largely determine pay policies within guidelines | Devolvement of responsibility for pay management issues is a key thrust. Senior civil servants continue to be managed from a central point to facilitate mobility and pay control |
|
- for Senior Civil Servants? |
No - determined centrally | No - determined centrally | No - determined centrally | No - determined centrally | No - determined centrally | |
| Are Disciplined Services handled separately for pay purposes? | Customs & Excise and Immigration treated similarly to other civil servants. Fire, Correctional and most Police Services are outside core civil service | Immigration, Police, Flying and Correctional Services are treated similarly to other civil servants. Fire and Customs & Excise are outside core civil service | Customs & Excise, Immigration, Police and Correctional Services are treated similarly to other civil servants. Fire Services are outside the core civil service | All Disciplined Service equivalents are treated broadly similar to other civil servants, although some specific arrangements apply | Customs & Excise and Immigration are treated similarly to other civil servants. Correctional Services have separate arrangements. Fire and Police are outside core civil service. | There is a wide span of arrangements for this group influenced by factors such as their legal ability to strike, need for independence, job demands & historical agreements |
| Are pay adjustments made by formal comparability with private sector pay? | No – seen only as a guide to inform market conditions | Yes - comparison by occupation | No – seen only as a guide to inform market conditions | Yes - competitiveness with the private sector for all jobs is seen as key to the recruitment and retention of high calibre staff | No – seen only as a guide to inform the principle of recruit, retain and motivate. | Most countries have reduced their emphasis on formal pay comparability with the private sector with affordability considerations now taking precedence |
| Is ‘ability to pay’ a primary factor for pay adjustment? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Are educational/academic qualifications an important factor for internal relativity? | Only one of several factors | Only one of several factors | Only one of several factors | Yes | Only one of several factors | Broader job comparisons are increasingly the norm |
| Have allowances been rationalised/consolidated/ simplified? | Yes – most allowances have ended and/or consolidated into base pay | Yes – most allowances have ended and/or consolidated into base pay | Yes – most allowances have ended and/or consolidated into base pay | Yes – most allowances have ended and/or consolidated into base pay | Yes – most allowances have ended and/or consolidated into base pay | In all cases, use of allowances has reduced to increase transparency and reduce admin costs |
| Experience of replacing fixed pay scales with pay ranges | ||||||
|
|
Australia |
Canada |
New Zealand |
Singapore |
United |
Summary |
| Have automatic annual increments on a pay scale been replaced by more flexible pay ranges? | Yes – most staff are now on a flexible pay range | Not for the majority of unionised staff, although a new scheme is currently being implemented.Pay ranges have been introduced for senior (non-unionised) civil servants | Yes – most staff are now on a flexible pay range | The majority of staff still receive an annual increment but pay ranges have been established for senior civil servants | Yes (with limited exceptions eg the Correctional Services). | General trend towards flexible pay ranges, particularly for senior staff |