Government data shows that as of the end of November last year, the number of civil servants in the team exceeded 190,000, with nearly 20,000 vacancies, resulting in a vacancy rate of 10.3%, the highest since the handover of sovereignty in 1997. After the Chinese Communist Party imposed the “Hong Kong National Security Law” in 2020, the Hong Kong government required civil servants to take oaths, sign national security declarations, update the “Code for Civil Servants,” resulting in an increased number of resignations among civil servants.
Analysis by former civil servants who left in recent years suggests that the rise in vacancy rates may be related to the tightening of freedoms in Hong Kong society. They believe that joining the ranks of civil servants under various government restrictions is like being under a “tight curse,” further limiting their freedom.
According to government statistics, among various policy bureaus, departments, and offices, the Police Department has the highest vacancy rate, with an establishment of 37,993 personnel but only 31,156 actual employees, leaving 6,837 vacancies, resulting in an 18% vacancy rate. Additionally, the Education Bureau has 6,292 personnel with 983 vacancies, a vacancy rate of 15.6%. Following is the Department of Health with 896 vacancies and a 12.9% vacancy rate; the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has an establishment of 11,492 personnel with 1,236 vacancies, resulting in a vacancy rate of 10.8%.
To fill these vacancies, the police force launched the “Mainland University Recruitment Express” in November 2022, recruiting Hong Kong students studying in mainland China to join the force. The government mentioned that 2,898 mainland Hong Kong students participated, with 23 successfully joining as police officers by 2023, while 746 candidates are at various recruitment stages.
The Civil Service Bureau stated that reasons for the vacancies include retirements, resignations, as well as the creation of new positions for implementing new measures and improving services. If existing service models are under review, departments may decide whether to fill related vacancies after the review is completed.
Examining government figures, the 10.3% vacancy rate in December 2023 became the highest since the handover of sovereignty in 1997.
Starting from the 2021-2022 fiscal year, the government implemented a “zero-growth” policy for civil servant establishment, aiming to maintain the overall civil servant establishment at the same level as of the end of March 2021 until the 2024-2025 fiscal year. The vacancy rate has gradually increased from 7.9% in March 2021 to 8.7% in the following year, hitting 10.2% in June last year. Although it slightly dropped to 10.1% in September, it reached a new high of 10.3% by December.
Moreover, the resignation rate of Hong Kong civil servants has traditionally been low. Before the 2019 anti-extradition protests and the enactment of the “Hong Kong National Security Law,” from the 2017/18 fiscal year to the 2020/21 fiscal year, the annual resignation numbers ranged from 1,333 to 1,863. After the National Security Law came into effect in June 2020, the number of resignations surged to 3,743 in the 2021/22 fiscal year, accounting for approximately 2.1% of the actual workforce, with a resignation rate of 2.2%, the highest since the handover in 1997.
In the 2021/22 fiscal year, 1,250 civil servants who had served for over 10 years but had not yet reached normal retirement age resigned. The Department of Health had the highest number of resignations, with 113 employees; followed by the Social Welfare Department and Education Bureau with 94 and 90 resignations, respectively. The overall resignation figures significantly increased compared to the previous fiscal years.
In the politically tense atmosphere, various incidents within the civil service system have put pressure on civil servants. Since October 2020 and January 2021, the Civil Service Bureau introduced arrangements requiring new and existing civil servants to sign declarations supporting the Basic Law, pledging loyalty to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People’s Republic of China, and demonstrating commitment and accountability.
A former frontline postal worker who had worked for over 20 years at the Hong Kong Post and resigned in mid-2021, Mr. Chen (alias), expressed that due to economic considerations, he initially signed the declaration to continue working. However, shortly after, 20 to 30 colleagues resigned around the same time, citing the unfavorable social atmosphere, and later relocated overseas. Concerned about political risks, Mr. Chen relocated to the UK. He noted that four or five colleagues refused to sign the declaration and resigned before doing so.
In June 2022, the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs responded to questions from Legislative Council members, stating that 129 civil servants, without reasonable explanations, ignored or refused to sign and return the declarations. These individuals had all left the government by the end of 2021 for various reasons, including termination of employment under the Civil Service Regulations of probationary conditions, mandatory retirement by Order under Article 12 of the Civil Service (Management) Order for public interest reasons, resignation, or dismissal for disciplinary violations.
Furthermore, at the end of last year, the government proposed a consultation draft to update the “Code for Civil Servants.” The draft retained “political neutrality” as a fundamental belief for civil servants but emphasized that loyalty to the country and the HKSAR must be paramount. It stated that there were past misunderstandings regarding the concept of “political neutrality” that civil servants must be aware of and cautious about. The updated draft increased the basic beliefs that civil servants must adhere to from 6 to 12, including elements such as “upholding constitutional order and national security,” “being people-oriented,” “enthusiastic about public service,” “performance accountability,” “confidentiality principles,” and “team spirit.”
The Secretary for the Civil Service, Ms. Yeung Ho Pui-yan, noted in 2019 that some civil servants believed “political neutrality” meant not having to support the current government, which she regarded as a misinterpretation of the principle.
Moreover, in terms of personal expression in private spaces, if it contradicts the “Code,” discovered or reported to authorities, the government would take action. Yeung further explained that while civil servants have some space to express personal opinions in a private capacity, they must adhere to the “Code” and ensure that their opinions are not mistaken for official positions or linked to their public duties.
Mr. Chen stated that further restrictions by the government may discourage recent graduates and students who had witnessed the societal events of the past few years from considering civil service. He remarked that joining such an industry with tight restrictions amid an already limited freedom in society might feel like restricting oneself further.
Additionally, he believed that the rising vacancy rates among civil servants were linked to the rapid expansion of civil service personnel in the late 1970s and early 1980s, with many of them now reaching retirement age.
Although Mr. Chen had resigned for some time, he still maintained contact with former colleagues. Some of them expressed discontent with the current atmosphere but had to remain discreet. He lamented how outspoken colleagues had now chosen silence to support their families or had migrated due to political risks.
Noting the implementation of the National Security Law and oaths, Mr. Chen pointed out a prevalent culture of informants within the government. He knew other civil servants who had previously volunteered with a civilian human rights group in 2019. Still, two to three years later, they were anonymously reported, investigated by superiors, and eventually found to have committed no legal violations.
Referring to the “Code for Civil Servants” enacted since 2009, Mr. Chen highlighted the requirement for civil servants to be politically neutral and not let their political stances affect their work. He criticized the government for seeking to eliminate dissenting voices through the National Security Law and changes in the “Code.” He described the deterioration of a team that once handled matters in a neutral manner as “tragic.”
Under the guise of national security, apart from attending national education classes, Hong Kong civil servants were required, starting at the end of last year, to collectively watch training videos arranged by the government. While the viewing content was to be kept confidential, leaked information from the media described the 2019 anti-extradition protests as a “Hong Kong version of a color revolution.” It accused media outlets such as Apple Daily and Stand News of spreading false information, vilifying and defaming the central and SAR governments, smearing attacks on the police, and inciting societal discontent, particularly among the younger generation.
Mr. Chen mentioned that some former colleagues had watched the videos and found them unimpressive, questioning why the government arranged the screenings but lacked the courage to make them public. He believed that civil servants now faced many unnecessary tasks outside their job scope.
Reflecting on the current atmosphere, Mr. Chen believed that even if he hadn’t resigned, the changing societal and work environment likely would have led him, like many former colleagues, to keep quiet, lie low, or eventually emigrate from Hong Kong after a period.
When asked if being a civil servant now was more difficult than when he initially joined the service, Mr. Chen candidly admitted that it was indeed, citing the tightening of vaccine passes shortly after his resignation. Even civil servants were required to be vaccinated to enter government buildings, and being an unvaccinated person like himself, he might have faced job loss if he hadn’t resigned earlier.
At the time, the government mandated that all unvaccinated government employees must undergo regular testing at their own expense to continue working. Initially bi-weekly in August 2021, the testing frequency was later reduced to every three days in December of the same year.
In October 2022, the police arrested four civil servants, including three Social Welfare Department staff and one government school teacher, for allegedly using medical certificates unjustifiably excusing seven Western doctors from vaccination, leading to accusations of “conspiracy to defraud.”