The Government plans to reconfigure civil servants’ salaries using the Job Evaluation Framework. This long-awaited exercise should conclude in the first quarter of this year. The framework scientifically measures the value of public sector jobs. It aims to correct decades of wage distortions. It also ensures pay matches responsibility and seniority.
Public Service Minister Edgar Moyo shared the update on salary negotiations and restructuring. He explained that daily negotiations remain under the National Joint Negotiating Council. However, current talks rely on the pending evaluation results.
“The matter of salary negotiations rests with the National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC),” he said.
“The framework is conceived when they make their demands to Government where they seek a mandate from the Ministry of Finance and related ministries,” said Minister Moyo.
“On the basis of the offer and the demand, a salary package is negotiated. It may not be very correct for me to say when that is going to happen but I know that the current situation is that salaries are being worked around the job evaluation framework, which is about to be concluded.
“The indications that we got late last year were that during the first quarter of this year, most likely the job evaluation results will have been implemented.”
Fixing Wage Distortions and Restoring Hierarchy
The Job Evaluation exercise supports broader public sector reforms. Its main goal is to create a fair and rational grading structure. This structure reflects duties, complexity, and responsibility levels. The last evaluation occurred in 1995. Since then, economic shocks and policy changes caused grade misalignment. Hyperinflation and dollarisation worsened salary distortions.
“The last job evaluation was done around 1995 and it established grades and sub-grades. Now, because of interventions that would come for different reasons and collective bargaining results, a misalignment was created,” said Minister Moyo.
“You remember that during and after the hyperinflation period we got to a point, where the US dollar came in, where people were earning basically the same salary. That has to be undone so that recognition is given to seniority,” he added.
“The job evaluation is meant to recast grades in the civil servants so that they speak to the different hierarchies in the ministries.”
Validation Process and Budget Preparedness
Officials completed data collection last year and validated the results. Cabinet reviewed the findings before further technical assessment. A consultant and the Public Service Commission reviewed each ministry. They evaluated structural impacts of the new grading model.
Ministries provided feedback, and officials adjusted grading where necessary.
“The ministries gave their feedback and some adjustments were made in terms of the grading of civil servants. You will understand that over the years, because of a number of issues, there has been a run away from the original job evaluation,” Moyo explained.
“All that had to be done, taken to Cabinet, from Cabinet back to the ministries. From ministries, the Public Service Commission had to then clean the document. This is where I am now saying, before the end of this first quarter, that will have been concluded,” he said.
Minister Moyo confirmed that the 2025 National Budget accommodates the framework’s financial impact.
However, he stressed the exercise does not guarantee salary increases.
“A job evaluation is basically a scientific exercise to determine the levels of salaries and grades. Whether the current job evaluation will result in the overall increase of salaries is another matter
“There are people in the civil service whose grades went beyond what they should be and there are people whose grades are below what they should be. Those will naturally benefit from this exercise. All those things are going to be rationalised by the job evaluation,” he said.
He added that final salary adjustments will consider economic conditions and fiscal capacity.
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