Hong Kong to hold first internal recruitment drive in a nearly a decade for elite-level policymakers, hopefuls reminded of new national security law era

Civil service chief tells potential candidates for the high-level posts of the importance of grasping Hong Kong’s new political landscape

Wave of resignations has hit the city’s public sector workforce since the national security law took effect last June

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Civil servants have been reminded of the requirement to understand the new political framework in Hong Kong. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 8:27pm, 14 Jun 2021Updated: 10:05pm, 14 Jun 2021

Hong Kong will hold its first internal recruitment drive in nearly a decade to fill elite-level policymaker posts and counter a wave of civil service resignations since the national security law took effect nearly a year ago.

Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip Tak-kuen on Monday told hopefuls they must understand Hong Kong’s new political environment as he revealed that nearly 700 public sector workers had expressed interest in the administrative officer (AO) posts, which command an entry-level salary of HK$55,995 (US$7,200) per month.

Nip reminded potential candidates that the administrative landscape in which they operated had changed following last June’s imposition of the national security law and the Beijing-decreed overhaul earlier this year of Hong Kong’s electoral system, aimed at ensuring only “patriots” were running the city.

“While everyone should understand the nature of the administrative officers’ work, they should also understand the wider environment and the setting we are in, so as to get a more comprehensive grip of the demands, responsibilities, and undertakings required from administrative officers,” Nip wrote in a Facebook post.

“As the backbone of the civil service, how to build a better Hong Kong collectively during the key moments of this new chapter is what our team should think about. This is also the responsibility and challenge for the administrative officers, who are the core of that backbone.”

Nip said almost 700 civil servants interested in the “specially arranged internal recruitment” exercise for administrative officers attended two briefing sessions last week that he led with his permanent secretary Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan.