The number of applications for public service positions in Hong Kong shows there is a high level of interest in joining the civil service. Photo: File.
More than 20,000 people are competing for 306 Hong Kong Public Service positions, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan has announced.
This represents a 38 per cent increase in applicants over last year, she said.
“We aim to hire 50 administrative officers, but have received around 12,500 applications. This means about 250 candidates will compete for one AO post.”
“There are also 18,400 applications for 220 executive officer posts,” she added.
“The number of applications is inspiring, as it shows that many people, including university graduates and year-three students, are interested in joining the civil service family to serve the people.”
She said eligible applicants would take the Joint Recruitment Examination scheduled on 2 December, where they would be required to complete two questions — one in Chinese and the other in English — within the three-hour test.
“The candidates should pay attention to news and current affairs to deepen their understanding [of] public policies in different aspects, as well as the economic and political developments around the world,” Ms Yeung said.
“They should also improve their analytical and writing skills, which require time to practice and accumulate experience, and candidates should think more about daily life, analyse more social phenomena and reasons for government policies.”
Meanwhile, a teacher sacked over “highly improper” comments made during the 2019 anti-government protests has been granted a judicial review after her lawyers argued her freedom of expression had been excessively restricted.
The High Court ruled that Toffee Tam Yuk-fun’s application for a judicial review was on its face reasonably arguable, based on written submissions filed by her legal counsel.
Ms Tam, who spent 27 years in the public service, was fired in July and stripped of all retirement benefits after an internal inquiry found her guilty of misconduct.
Disciplinary proceedings last year concluded that Ms Tam had “fallen short of the standards of a teacher” and “brought the Government into disrepute” with messages posted on her Facebook account between June and September 2019.
The former educator came under attack that year by a pro-Beijing newspaper, which accused her of fostering hatred towards police by posting “vicious” and “vengeful” remarks about officers and their families.
15 October 2023
