Hong Kong’s civil service may fill some of its top jobs through external recruitment in the near future, the bureau’s minister has said, in a rare move to resolve promotion bottlenecks and attract new talent to join the government. Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip Tak-kuen told a Legislative Council meeting on Monday that authorities would also continue following Beijing’s principle of “patriots” ruling Hong Kong and instil the value in government employees. “As Hong Kong has entered a new era, civil servants must also embrace the spirit of ‘patriots administering Hong Kong’,” he said, referring to the enactment of the national security law in 2020 and last year’s overhaul of the electoral system. “After consultation, we have decided that while the majority of directorate posts will continue to be filled via internal promotion, we will open up recruitment for some posts that require professional skills, or [positions] which have encountered succession difficulties.” In her final policy address last October, outgoing leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said she had asked Nip to review the existing selection and appointment mechanism for senior civil service posts, “with a view to appointing the most visionary and competent officers to the most suitable positions”. John Lee ‘pledges to change Hong Kong civil service’s work culture’ Chief Executive-elect John Lee Ka-chiu also pledged in his election manifesto to strengthen Hong Kong’s “governance capability” and establish a loyal, efficient and down-to-earth administration. Lee’s proposed changes include the creation of a new system of rewards and punishments to encourage problem-solving attitudes among government employees. The civil service is currently seeking to recruit more staff after 2,809 government employees resigned from April to December 2021, compared to 1,863 over the period of April 2020 to March 2021. At the Legco meeting, Nip said the bureau had identified several positions that could be filled by either internal or external recruitment after reviewing the existing selection process for senior civil service posts. “The head of the Civil Service College is for open-cum-in-service recruitment, so that the scope of possible candidates can be as wide as possible,” he said. Four other positions set to welcome external candidates are the commissioner for sports, commissioner for innovation and technology, government chief information officer and deputy commissioner for efficiency. The civil service chief said that after examining the possibility of public recruitment, his bureau had decided the post of director of information services would continue to be filled internally, noting the role required rich experience in the government. Senior civil servant Grace Ng Yee-mei has served as acting director of information service since December last year, after Rex Chang Wai-yuen resigned, citing health reasons. Nip also said candidates seeking to join the civil service from July would need to pass the new Basic Law and National Security Law Test. The assessment consists of 20 multiple-choice questions, with candidates required to answer half of them correctly to pass. Hong Kong civil servants brace for shake-up under John Lee’s reform During the Legco meeting, legislator Lai Tung-kwok, a former security chief, said he was concerned the test was too easy. But Nip replied that passing the assessment was a minimum requirement. “Our goal is not to kick out all the candidates; we just need them to have some understanding of the two laws. We can consider whether to raise our requirements in the future,” he added. After the meeting, Nip stopped short of revealing if he would join the next administration, which takes over on July 1. “As the term of this administration expires on June 30, I will continue to do my work, such as supporting the transition of the two terms of government,” he said. “From being a civil servant to a political appointee, I have been serving the people, and my intention of contributing to my country has never changed.” On the same day, prospective leader Lee held meetings with two of Hong Kong’s major pro-establishment parties, the Business and Professionals Alliance (BPA) and the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB). Priscilla Leung Mei-fun, the BPA’s vice-chairwoman, said she was glad her party and Lee had held a fruitful discussion on ways to improve the efficiency of the civil service. DAB chairwoman Starry Lee Wai-king said she hoped Lee could strengthen district administration and various community networks, as well as further improve the relationship between the executive and legislative branches. She added that authorities must also prepare for a possible sixth wave of coronavirus infections. Additional reporting by Natalie Wong