UNITED NATIONS
POST ADJUSTMENT
SYSTEM
Methodology for Compilation of the
Post Adjustment Index
and
Operational rules for Determination of the
Post Adjustment Multiplier
International Civil Service Commission
August 2023
Version 3 Copyright © United Nations 2023
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................................................... i
I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 1
II. WHAT IS THE POST ADJUSTMENT STSTEM?........................................................................................ 2
A. Definition and Purpose .................................................................................................................. 2
B. Governance of the post adjustment system ................................................................................... 4
B-1. Division of responsibilities between the UN General Assembly (GA) and ICSC (Articles 10 and
11 of the ICSC Statutes) ................................................................................................................... 4
B-2. Responsibilities delegated to the ICSC Chairman .................................................................... 6
III. HOW DOES THE POST ADJUSTMENT SYSTEM WORK? ....................................................................... 6
A. Operation of the post adjustment system ...................................................................................... 6
A-1. New York ............................................................................................................................... 6
A-2. Other duty stations ................................................................................................................ 7
A-3. What Post Adjustment does and does NOT do ....................................................................... 7
A-4. Roles of key stakeholders ....................................................................................................... 8
B. Types of duty stations .................................................................................................................. 11
C. The calculation of the PAI............................................................................................................. 13
C-1. The PAI structure ................................................................................................................. 14
C-2. The in-area (excluding housing) component ......................................................................... 14
C-3. Domestic services ................................................................................................................. 18
C-4. The housing component: ...................................................................................................... 19
C-5. The medical insurance component ....................................................................................... 23
C-6. The pension contribution component................................................................................... 24
C-7. The out-of-area component ................................................................................................. 25
C-8. Calculation of the PAI ........................................................................................................... 29
D. Updating the PAI over time .......................................................................................................... 33
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E. Operational rules for determining post adjustment multipliers .................................................... 35
E-1. The post adjustment multiplier ............................................................................................ 35
E-2. Updating the PAM over time ................................................................................................ 35
E-3. Factors influencing evolution of net take-home pay ............................................................. 38
E-4. Implementation of cost-of-living survey results .................................................................... 40
ANNEX I: SUMMARY PROFILE OF ACPAQ MEMBERS............................................................................. 43
ANNEX II: CURRENT LIST OF GROUP I DUTY STATIONS ......................................................................... 45
ANNEX III: PENSIONABLE REMUNERATION FOR STAFF IN THE PROFESSIONAL AND HIGHER CATEGORIES ........... 46
ANNEX IV: ORGANIZATION OF THE 2016 BASELINE COST-OF-LIVING SURVEYS AT HEADQUARTERS DUTY STATIONS
AND WASHINGTON, D.C. ......................................................................................................... 47
ANNEX V: DERIVATION OF COMMON EXPENDITURE WEIGHTS ............................................................. 62
ANNEX VI: ISRP METHODOLOGY FOR COLLECTING MARKET RENT DATA FOR GROUP I DUTY STATIONS ............. 64
ANNEX VII: FORMULA USED IN THE CALCULATION OF THE COST-OF-LIVING INDEX ............................... 68
ANNEX VIII: THE RENTAL SUBSIDY SCHEME ............................................................................................ 70
ANNEX IX: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.......................................................................................... 76
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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
ACPAQ Advisory Committee on Post Adjustment Questions
CC Correction Coefficients
COLA Cost-of-Living Allowance
COLI Cost-of-Living Index
CPI Consumer Price Index
ECP European Comparison Programme
Eurostat The Statistical Office of the European Union
FBS Family Budget Survey
HICP Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices
ICP International Comparison Programme
ICSC International Civil Service Commission
ISRP International Service for Remunerations and Pensions
LSC Local Survey Committee
MI Medical Insurance
NGO Non-Governmental Organization
NSI National Statistical Institute
OA Out-of-area
PAI Post Adjustment Index
PAM Post Adjustment Multiplier
PC Pension Contribution
RTPC Real-Time Price Comparisons
UNSD United Nations Statistics Division
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