Jamaica – PM Andrew Holness to Accept Triple Salary Increase Under Public Sector Compensation Review

2026-02-21 - 12:54

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced that he will accept the salary adjustment approved under the Government’s 2023 public sector compensation review, a move that will see his annual earnings increase more than threefold to approximately $28.5 million. In a statement released Friday, the Office of the Prime Minister said that, following careful review and internal consultations, it was agreed that the prime minister should align with the established emoluments and remuneration attached to the office. The adjustment will raise Holness’ salary from $9.16 million to $28.5 million annually. The increase had originally been structured to take effect in phased increments over a three-year period, culminating in 2024. However, the new decision means the revised compensation will now apply retroactively from September 2025. The changes will also trigger corresponding adjustments for former prime ministers and their surviving spouses. The statement referenced Holness’ earlier position in 2023, when he declined the increase, noting his comment that “another prime minister in the future or a new mandate may give an opportunity to reconsider the prime minister’s salary.” According to the release, the decision to implement the adjustment was taken last year after the formation of the new administration, but execution was delayed due to the impact of Hurricane Melissa. Parliament has since been advised to formalize the change. The compensation overhaul previously generated significant public backlash across Jamaica after large salary increases — in some cases exceeding 200 per cent — were announced in Parliament in 2023 by then Finance Minister Nigel Clarke. Amid the criticism, Holness said he would forgo the adjustment, while Opposition Leader Mark Golding indicated he would refuse up to 80 per cent of his proposed 240 per cent pay increase, which would have raised his salary to more than $25 million annually. The latest decision signals a reversal of the prime minister’s earlier stance and brings the compensation for the office in line with the broader restructuring of senior public sector salaries introduced under the reform programme.