Ethiopia Announces Major Salary Increase for Civil Servants

The government of Ethiopia announced a salary increase for government workers starting September 2018 (Ethiopian Calendar). The Ethiopian government’s salary increase for civil servants will help people with high prices and living costs. Ethiopia has some of the highest living costs in Africa right now. This pay raise could make life easier for many families.

The government’s Civil Service Commission shared the news on August 18, 2025. It affects about 2.4 million workers in federal and local jobs. This Ethiopia salary adjustment 2025 builds on last year’s changes, which gave significant raises to low-paid workers.

Main Details of Salary Increase by Ethiopia

Lowest Pay: It goes up from 4,760 birr to 6,000 birr. This helps people with low wages handle rising prices, which have been around 20-30% lately.

Highest Pay: It jumps from 21,492 birr to 39,000 birr. That’s almost double for top jobs.

Starting Pay for College Graduates: New workers with a degree will get 11,500 birr, up from about 6,940 birr. This could bring more young people into government jobs, like teaching or health care.

How Much Raise Overall: Raises can be as high as 80-81% for some groups. Last year, the government spent 10.3 billion birr to help 1.3 million workers.

The new pay starts in September 2018 (Ethiopian Calendar). The money will come through the Ministry of Finance. The civil service workers shared that this increase in salary shows that the government cares about the workers.

Government workers in Ethiopia have faced low pay for a long time, even as things get more expensive. Last year, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced raises after workers protested, including health workers who wanted better pay. Reportedly, some people waited months to get their last year’s raises. This year’s change is part of bigger plans to fix the economy.

Moreover, Ethiopia says there might be a plan to raise the Value Added Tax (VAT) from 15% to 17.5%. This change aims to help the government get more money during tough economic times.

On social media, people are happy but careful. Many call it “good news,” but they remember past waits. In the past, government pay has been lower than that in private jobs, making some people leave for better work. This salary increase in the public sector wages in Ethiopia aims to support long-term plans, like building better industries.