As part of the nine-month-long public service compensation review, 15 stakeholder meetings were held and 585 public officers responded to a survey, according to consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory Services Limited.

PwC, which is heading the process, used the feedback to identify various themes that were consistent across all stakeholder meetings held as part of the “Current State Assessment” phase of the review, according to a government press release.

Those themes included the cost of living, “low grading of technical positions, merit versus seniority, resources on the sister islands, disparity in allowances, the profile of the workforce, and the perception of the pension scheme,” government noted.

The 15 meetings were held with groups that included human resources managers, law enforcers, legislators, ministerial officers, policy and administrative-driven officers and teachers, and representatives of unions, associations, private-sector entities, technical departments, educational departments, legal offices, and sister island offices.

Survey

PwC also created a 10-to-15-minute survey to gauge feedback from officers who were not covered in the stakeholder meetings.

Deputy Governor’s Office Permanent Secretary Sharleen Dabreo-Lettsome said the 585 responses represented a major accomplishment.

“The sheer number of feedback received during the Current State Assessment is very impressive and will hopefully capture a picture of public officers’ feelings regarding the current compensation package,” she said.

Ms. Dabreo-Lettsome, who sat in on each stakeholder meeting, added that the sessions gave the compensation review team an understanding of the day-to-day ramifications of compensation in the public service.

“This means that as PwC moves towards developing a new compensation philosophy, the experiences of actual public officers will guide these decisions,” she explained.

In addition to the stakeholder meetings and survey feedback, 47 documents were requested to inform the Current State Assessment Report.

All documents were subsequently received by PwC, which plans submit the draft Current State Assessment Report tomorrow, according to government.

The report is designed to capture the “as is” state of the public service and to identify potential issues and key documentation.

What’s next

The next phase of the review is the “Compensation Philosophy and Revised Classification System.”

This phase will include a review of leading practice classifications and job coding frameworks, such as the International Standard Classification of Occupations, according to government.

The compensation review aims to “address remuneration disparity; further support the retention, engagement and motivation of skilled and competent officers to effectively deliver public services; and to move toward a ‘Total Rewards’ Scheme that promotes high performance,” according to Government Information Services.

The contract for the review was signed with PwC in October 2022 and is valued at $302,103.

The project is scheduled to conclude in August.