The Executive Council on Tuesday approved a Civil Service Bureau proposal to give staff of all ranks a 3 percent pay rise this year.

The increases would be lower than the rises of up to 5.47 percent indicated by the recent Pay Trend Survey.

Civil Service Secretary Ingrid Yeung said Exco considered various factors when agreeing to the proposal.

"The Executive Council has, in accordance with the mechanism governing the adjustment of civil service pay, considered six factors, namely the state of Hong Kong's economy, changes in the cost of living, the net pay trend indicators, the government's fiscal position, the pay claims of the staff side, as well as the civil service morale," she said.

"We believe that this is a balanced decision, taking into account all those six factors."

Yeung added that while one in 10 civil service positions are vacant, salary is not the sole factor when it comes to retaining or attracting workers.

She said the pay rise proposal will be discussed with staff representatives on Wednesday before a final decision is reached.

Last year, senior civil servants received a salary increase of 2.87 percent, while mid-ranking and junior staff had rises of 4.65 percent.