Hong Kong’s government has handled 33 cases involving civil servants whose performance remained below the required standard since the procedure was simplified in September 2023, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan said. Some staff were ordered to retire, while others resigned.
Yeung said the figure represented a sharp increase from the previous pattern of about one or two comparable cases a year.
The process can begin with counselling and training. If an employee does not improve within the specified period, the consequences can include reduced promotion prospects and an adverse record in work reports, with compulsory retirement possible as the final outcome. Yeung said civil service employment was not guaranteed regardless of performance.
Yeung said some staff improved after receiving a final opportunity to demonstrate better performance, and that more departments were becoming willing to use the procedure.
She also linked the approach to wider departmental accountability. For matters involving several departments, the lead department and each department’s responsibilities would be identified clearly, she said. Where a matter fell squarely within a department’s remit, failing to act would itself be unacceptable.