Zimbabwe’s Government says the long-awaited Job Evaluation Framework for civil servants is expected to be concluded and implemented before the end of the first quarter of 2026, paving the way for a major reconfiguration of public sector salaries.
Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Edgar Moyo confirmed the development, saying the scientific evaluation tool is designed to correct decades of wage distortions and align pay with responsibility, hierarchy and seniority across ministries. Moyo said:
“The matter of salary negotiations rests with the National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC),” Moyo said. “Salaries are being worked around the job evaluation framework, which is about to be concluded.”
He added that indications received late last year suggested that “during the first quarter of this year, most likely the job evaluation results will have been implemented.”
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The last comprehensive job evaluation was conducted in 1995. Since then, economic shocks, including the hyperinflation era and dollarisation, significantly distorted grading structures. Moyo said:
“You remember that during and after the hyperinflation period… people were earning basically the same salary. That has to be undone so that recognition is given to seniority.”
The framework has gone through data collection, validation, Cabinet review and ministry-by-ministry consultations. Adjustments were made after feedback from line ministries, and the Public Service Commission has since been refining the final document.
Importantly, Treasury has made provisions in the 2025 National Budget to accommodate the financial impact. However, Moyo cautioned that the exercise is not a blanket salary increase. He said:
“There are people whose grades went beyond what they should be and there are people whose grades are below what they should be. Those will naturally benefit.”
Since 2018, civil servants have periodically embarked on strikes and stay-aways demanding salary reviews, arguing that their earnings were severely eroded after the October 2018 currency reforms.
Civil servants have consistently called for the restoration of pre-October 2018 salaries, when the average pay stood at around US$540 per month. Unions say the current negotiations and the job evaluation exercise will be judged against that benchmark, which many workers still regard as the last meaningful standard of living.
Final government workers’ salary adjustments will also depend on the country’s economic outlook and the fiscus’ capacity.
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