Hong Kong civil service jobs: how to apply and are they still a big draw for graduates?

First, the administrative officer. These are members of an elite corp in the civil service who help draft most policies.

Second, the executive officer II is a role specialising in resource and system management.

Third, the assistant trade officer II. Their duties include helping with research on trade, industry, innovation and technology matters.

And the fourth role available is transport officer II. These are employees tasked with analysing the operations of public transport services and facilities.

2. How much is the pay?

The administrative officer grade has been known for its lucrative package, with its entry level last year starting from HK$60,065 (US$7,690) per month.

Meanwhile, monthly salaries for newly hired executive officers, trade officers and transport officers fell between HK$32,430 and HK$34,060 last year.

Government positions typically offer more attractive salaries than other jobs in the market.

According to data from Hong Kong’s eight publicly funded universities in 2022, fresh graduates earned HK$300,000 a year on average, or HK$25,000 a month.

3. What are the requirements?

Beyond having a bachelor’s degree, applicants are also required to take the Common Recruitment Examination (CRE) held by the government, which consists of three 45-minute papers that test candidates’ levels in the use of English and Chinese, as well as their aptitude, in a multiple-choice format.

Applicants who have obtained level 5 or above in English language and Chinese language in the Diploma of Secondary Education Examination will not be required to take the two language papers.

They are also required to take a test on their understanding of the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution, as well as the national security law.

Candidates hoping to apply for the four posts can sign up from Saturday to August 9 for the CRE as well as the Basic Law and national security law test, tentatively scheduled to be held on October 5.

The tests are also tentatively scheduled to be carried out on December 7 in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver and Sydney.

4. Is there much competition?

In 2023, more than 12,500 and 18,500 applications – the highest in three years – were received respectively for administrative officer and executive officer posts, which had 50 and 220 vacancies.

That meant 250 people were competing for an administrative officer position, while 84 were vying for an executive officer post.

5. Have posts lost their appeal to young Hongkongers?

Hong Kong’s civil service has been hit by an exodus over the past few years following the 2019 social unrest and Beijing’s subsequent imposition of the national security law on the city.

Data in 2023 showed that the number of civil servants in their thirties who had quit their jobs had more than tripled over the past five years to almost 1,300. This group also accounted for the most number of resignations among the 174,000-strong service in 2022.

Some union representatives have attributed the surge of resignations to the emigration wave, as well some workers’ reluctance to take a required pledge of allegiance to the government following the implementation of the national security law in 2020.

In response to a manpower crunch, the administration introduced a new scheme last year to allow undergraduates to apply for civil service jobs before their final year in university and join the government immediately after they complete their studies.

Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan said earlier that the increase in applications in last year’s recruitment drive showed many fresh graduates and undergraduates were interested in joining the government.