Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness will now earn a full annual salary of $28.5 million after the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) confirmed he has accepted the compensation package attached to the post — a figure more than three times his previous pay.
The decision, announced in a media release on Friday, takes effect retroactively from September 2025, when Holness led the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) to an unprecedented third consecutive term in office.
According to the OPM, the move followed “careful review and internal consultations,” after which it was agreed that the Prime Minister should accept the compensation structure previously established for the role. The implementation of the salary change had been delayed due to the impact of Hurricane Melissa.
Holness had previously declined the adjusted compensation package in May 2023, citing fierce public backlash against salary increases granted to members of the political directorate at the time. He noted then that “another prime minister in the future or a new mandate may give an opportunity to reconsider the prime minister’s salary.” His re-election last September appears to have provided that opportunity.
The Prime Minister’s new annual salary of $28,587,893 represents a significant jump from his previous salary of just over $9 million.
Parliament has since been advised to effect the change retroactive to September 2025.
The salary adjustment will also have implications beyond the current administration. Former Prime Ministers PJ Patterson, Bruce Golding, and Portia Simpson Miller are set to benefit from increased pensions, as former prime ministers are entitled to a pension equal to the salary of the sitting head of government. Adjustments to pensions for their surviving spouses are also expected to follow.
