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Singapore ministers, among world’s highest paid government officials, get first raise in 15 years

The government says higher pay is needed to attract experienced talent and keep political salaries aligned with private-sector earnings.

  • On Tuesday, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced in Parliament that Singapore will raise the MR4 entry-level minister salary benchmark from $1.1 million to $1.8 million, with political office-holders receiving a one-off adjustment of up to 9 percent starting October 15.
  • Singapore last adjusted ministerial salaries 15 years ago, and Wong stated the revision aims to attract top talent and maintain high-quality leadership as existing pay had fallen behind private sector and civil service earnings.
  • Monthly allowances for Members of Parliament will increase to $18,500 from $13,750 to account for inflation, while Wong committed to donating his full annual salary increment of $1.4 million to "suitable good causes" for the next five years.
  • The announcement drew criticism from some online as "tone deaf," given current concerns regarding retrenchments, job security, and the rising cost of living, though the government defends the system as essential for clean governance.
  • Coordinating Minister for Public Services Chan Chun Sing noted the government will study "delinking" allowances for community-related roles from ministerial benchmarks, as the current framework uses the median income of Singapore's top 1,000 earners to guide salary levels.
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Lean Left

True, the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lawrence Wong, promised that he would benefit from it.

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Utusan Online broke the news on Monday, September 7, 2026.
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