Hong Kong offers undergraduate students early for civil servants

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Hong Kong offers undergraduate students early for civil servants

Civil servants dressed in facial masks enter the Central Government Complex of the HKSAR government, Tamar, Hong Kong, in this file photo taken on March 2, 2020. CALVIN NG CHINA DAILY University undergraduates in Hong Kong can apply for civil servant positions through a new scheme announced by the government on Thursday to attract talent early amid manpower shortages.

Announcing the scheme after briefing government-funded universities, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yanYeung Ho Poi-yan said second-year students or above can apply early for civil servant jobs as long as they satisfy certain criteria, which include finishing their studies on time.

In September, students who will graduate in 2024 or 2025 will be able to submit applications for six government grades, including administrative officer grade.

In the past two years, government statistics show that the civil service has lost 8,494 and 10,487 employees, respectively, representing 4.8 percent and 5.9 percent of the civil servant workforce. A significant factor in talent loss is retirement. Over the last year, over 3,734 civil servants quit their jobs for various reasons.

The discussion on national security has been launched for HK civil servants.

Yeung said talent is the most important asset for all organizations and institutions. The HKSAR government has been actively recruiting a significant number of highly skilled individuals, who are responsible for formulating, explaining, and implementing government policies, to ensure that there is enough staff to serve the public well.

Yeung said that many university students aspire to secure a position within the government before they graduate.

The new arrangement will help students achieve conditional admission in advance of graduating while enabling the government to find new recruits as early as possible.