https://www.scmp.com/rss/522331/feed Civil Service Bureau: A governmental body based in Hong Kong, with its headquarters at the Central Government Offices in Tamar, the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) is responsible for formulating and implementing policies on the management of the Hong Kong Civil Service. Its primary mission is to maintain a first-class, professional, and efficient civil service dedicated to serving the community. Key activities include recruitment, human resource management, training, and promoting a culture of... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Nixie Lam Nixie Lam Hong Kong’s pressing demographic challenges demand tailored, well-considered civil service policies. However, the proposal put forward in recent Legislative Council debates on population policy to raise the retirement age for all civil servants to 65 offers no viable solution to these issues. This one-size-fits-all approach overlooks the civil service’s flexible retirement frameworks and works against the government’s goals of streamlining and modernising the public sector. It risks undermining... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3342914/one-size-fits-all-retirement-age-civil-servants-wont-suit-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3342914/one-size-fits-all-retirement-age-civil-servants-wont-suit-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 01:30:08 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Accountability is at the core of a disciplinary investigation into the scandal involving the procurement of bottled water for government offices last year. Equally important is that lessons are learned and the appropriate punishment meted out to those responsible so as to serve as a stern warning for civil servants who fail to discharge their duties conscientiously. It has been found that three Government Logistics Department officers did not perform up to the standards commensurate with their... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3340646/bottled-water-scandal-should-prompt-civil-servants-exercise-due-diligence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3340646/bottled-water-scandal-should-prompt-civil-servants-exercise-due-diligence?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 23:15:08 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Halfway into the two-week nomination period for the Legislative Council elections, the Hong Kong government is doing its best to get out the vote. This includes staging an extensive publicity campaign and making an appeal to civil servants to support the ballot next month. In a letter to the 171,000-strong civil service on Tuesday, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu strongly urged all civil servants to cast their votes on December 7. Citing the Civil Service Code, which requires government... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3331062/hong-kong-civil-servants-should-do-their-civic-duty-and-vote-legco-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3331062/hong-kong-civil-servants-should-do-their-civic-duty-and-vote-legco-election?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 23:15:11 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words Third Side has long pushed for civil service accountability reform, focusing not on punishment, but on transparency and real accountability. We welcome the latest policy address putting the “Heads of Department Accountability System” front and centre, with the Public Service... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3326786/how-new-accountability-system-hong-kong-civil-servants-can-be-impactful?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3326786/how-new-accountability-system-hong-kong-civil-servants-can-be-impactful?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Sep 2025 03:30:10 +0000 Regina Ip Regina Ip In his most comprehensive policy address yet, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu mapped out dozens of policy measures to boost Hong Kong’s hub economy, help small and medium enterprises, shore up the property market, promote tourism, develop new tech-based industries, raise fertility and train talent, just to name a few. However, the emphasis on the economy should not divert attention from the key reforms outlined in Lee’s address, which – if successfully implemented – would have a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3326091/hong-kong-doubles-down-innovation-and-accountability-its-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3326091/hong-kong-doubles-down-innovation-and-accountability-its-future?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Sep 2025 01:30:09 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial The departmental head who apologised for a HK$52.9 million (US$6.8 million) government water procurement scandal has begun pre-retirement leave, in what a minister has said is a normal arrangement, while the incident remains under review. It may not come under the accountability system proposed in the chief executive’s policy address, but Carlson Chan Ka-shun’s exit as director of the Government Logistics Department will be seen as consistent with the government’s resolve to strengthen... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3326171/accountability-system-hong-kongs-top-civil-servants-long-overdue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3326171/accountability-system-hong-kongs-top-civil-servants-long-overdue?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Sep 2025 23:15:12 +0000 Alice Wu Alice Wu Some readers might not know Hong Kong had an election a little over a week ago. And that’s OK, because most of us aren’t part of the 3,631 voters eligible to take part in the Election Committee subsector by-elections, held on September 7. The election achieved a phenomenal voter turnout rate of 97.33 per cent. The 1,500-member Election Committee had 93 vacancies that needed filling. Nearly 80 per cent of the seats were uncontested. The public may lack interest, but that doesn’t mean the Election... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3325337/john-lees-policy-address-must-illuminate-hong-kongs-way-forward?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3325337/john-lees-policy-address-must-illuminate-hong-kongs-way-forward?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Sep 2025 01:30:09 +0000 Jane Lee Jane Lee Hong Kong’s bottled water procurement scandal has garnered widespread public attention. Beyond the immediate concerns over the process and contract management, it offers an opportunity to reflect more broadly on civil service culture. The episode should be viewed not only as a problem to resolve but also as an opportunity to promote attentiveness, ownership and flexibility in public administration. The 2025 tender awarded contracts mainly based on the lowest bid. Requirements were described as... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3324926/end-hong-kongs-procurement-failures-overhaul-civil-service-culture?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3324926/end-hong-kongs-procurement-failures-overhaul-civil-service-culture?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Sep 2025 01:30:09 +0000 Wynna Wong Wynna Wong Hong Kong’s leader has praised civil servants sent to earthquake-stricken Myanmar and a team that led drills before the opening of the city’s largest piece of sports infrastructure for amplifying the government’s commitment to “continuous improvement and fearlessness in facing challenges”. John Lee Ka-chiu presented the Chief Executive’s Award for Exemplary Performance to the groups in a ceremony on Wednesday. It was the first time two teams had received the honour in the same year since the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3319327/hong-kong-leader-praises-rescuers-kai-tak-sports-park-team-civil-servant-awards?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3319327/hong-kong-leader-praises-rescuers-kai-tak-sports-park-team-civil-servant-awards?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Jul 2025 13:35:05 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification With China signing a convention to set up the International Organisation for Mediation in Hong Kong, the city has an extraordinary opportunity to cement its international status amid geopolitical... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3317244/hong-kongs-mediation-body-be-par-hague-more-must-be-done?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3317244/hong-kongs-mediation-body-be-par-hague-more-must-be-done?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Jul 2025 03:30:09 +0000