Hong Kong to launch first phase of civil service assessment reform in 100 job grades
Hong Kong's civil service assessment optimisation plan will start in 100 job grades from 1 October 2026. The government will review the plan after two assessment cycles and expects to expand it over five years.
The Hong Kong government will launch the first phase of its civil service assessment optimisation plan in 100 job grades, starting from assessment cycles beginning on or after 1 October 2026, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung announced. The Civil Service Bureau will review the plan's effectiveness after completing two assessment cycles and expects to extend it to more grades over the next five years.
Speaking on the third day of the Legislative Council's combined debate on the motion of thanks for Hong Kong's first five-year plan and the policy address, Yeung said strengthening governance and improving the civil service management system are key priorities for the current administration. The first five-year plan and policy address propose a series of measures, including implementing a responsibility system for department heads, which the bureau will continue to strengthen by fostering proactive leadership and departmental management capabilities, embedding administrative responsibility and active leadership within the civil service team to enhance management efficiency and execution capacity.
Yeung also said the government will ensure operational systems and staffing support are in place for the second-level investigation mechanism under the two-level administrative responsibility investigation system.
She said the government will promote a management system that clearly distinguishes between rewards and penalties. A system that appropriately recognises good performance and addresses shortcomings can boost morale and help departments more effectively handle deployment, promotion and counselling work. This would contribute to good governance and improve overall work quality across departments.
Yeung noted that outsiders often describe civil service jobs as "iron rice bowls" and say civil servants adopt a "less work, fewer mistakes; no work, no mistakes" mentality. She reiterated that for civil servants, not working is definitely wrong. The government introduced a simplified mechanism in September 2023 to require persistently underperforming civil servants to retire. Since the simplification, departments have become more willing to use this mechanism to deal with staff who consistently perform poorly, and the bureau will continue to monitor departmental follow-up to ensure the simplified mechanism is fully utilised.
