Deputy Governor Mr. David D. Archer, Jr. has stated that the feedback received by Public Officers regarding compensation underscores and emphasises the necessity of the Compensation Review.

This comes as the third phase of the review has culminated in the submission of “a compensation philosophy” from consultancy firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC.) The compensation philosophy is a proposed new way for the Public Service to organise job positions. PwC suggests adopting the Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) system for the assigning of job families, subfamilies, streams, stages and levels.

The updated classification system also seeks to address issues raised by Public Officers during the current state assessment such as expanding job scopes; disparities in roles, salaries and allowances; poor grading of technical positions; challenges to succession planning; and the circumstances surrounding employment of Public Officers on the Sister Islands.

In his June Monthly message, Deputy Governor Mr. David D. Archer, Jr. addressed the findings and explained why they are important in the context of the review.

Beginning with expanding job scopes, the Deputy Governor noted that one major theme that came out of stakeholder meetings and survey feedback was the introduction of new initiatives that increased workloads and changed job portfolios without additional compensation.

“Any time new things become part of your job that is actually the best tagline as to why we are doing the Compensation Review. That is to recognise currently, what is your role, what is your job, what is being paid, what is the value of that job compared to what it was ten years ago,” the Deputy Governor explained.

Equally, Mr. Archer addressed the poor grading of technical positons, noting that, “Over the years, there has been a professional track without the right recognition, for persons who bring the technical skills.”

The Deputy Governor explained, “If we have a technical officer that is also able to lead and motivate and manage people and who wants to become a manager, we are grateful. However, what we also want is a technical person to be within their field, be the best architect, be the best lawyer, be the best I.T. technician and be rewarded for doing that as they progress throughout the years; not having to cross over into an admin track, seeking additional compensation and possibly losing their passion for their technical roles.”

Mr. Archer Jr. similarly acknowledged that in order to address disparities in salaries and allowances between similar job positions in the service, role profiles will have to be evaluated alongside the practical scope of work being carried out by these officers.

“We have to take a look at that and make sure that the allowances across the board are consistent,” he said.

Mr. Archer additionally referenced concerns about Public Officers on the Sister Islands, stating that these circumstances continue to be addressed in addition to the Compensation Review through initiatives such as the Sister Islands Coordination Committee, the Sister Islands Programme and digital transformation.

Another finding discussed by the Deputy Governor was the steady decrease in the number of Public Officers throughout the last decade from 4495 public officers employed in 2010 to approximately 2895 employed to date.

“Since the world economic crisis, we have been aggressively trying to get the right size of the Public Service, and you will see significant declines,” Mr. Archer Jr. said. He added, “You will see where decisions were made in terms of not rehiring certain positions and just trying to get the right balance with transformation, digital transformation and technology. It allows us to look at a leaner, more efficient public service.”

PwC has created the compensation philosophy in line with the Virgin Islands National Sustainable Development Plan and Public Service Transformation Framework, and has based their proposal on models from several different countries including: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Jamaica, Barbados, the Cayman Islands and Mauritius.

The Review has now moved into the fourth phase where both a draft and final Compensation Review Report will be created in three remaining steps namely: developing a compensation strategy, designing a compensation plan and package and adjusting the salary administration system to facilitate achieving strategic objectives.

The contract for the Compensation Review was signed with PwC in October 2022 and is valued at Three Hundred and Two Thousand, One Hundred and Three Dollars ($302,103.00). The project is scheduled to conclude next month.

The Compensation Review seeks 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.

The Deputy Governor’s Monthly Message for June 2023 can be viewed in full on the Government of the Virgin Islands Facebook page.

The Government of the Virgin Islands is committed to effective human resources leadership and partnership to drive Public Service Excellence.