Hong Kong’s enhanced civil-service appraisal scheme has begun its first phase, covering 100 occupational grades and about 41,000 staff. Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan, secretary for the civil service, said the grades represent roughly 20% to 30% of all civil-service grades.
The scheme uses a normal-distribution approach to rate staff. About 5% of employees are expected to receive ratings in categories four to six.
The impact on pay progression remains uncertain: Yeung said it was too early to estimate how many employees would ultimately miss increments. About 60,000 civil servants have reached the top of their pay scale. Yeung said they might still have promotion opportunities and warned that assigning them indiscriminately to the lowest three rating categories could damage morale and departmental operations.
Staff can raise objections during appraisal interviews. If a supervisor does not accept an objection, it must be recorded, and employees can submit their own comments for inclusion in the appraisal report. Grade managers will monitor objections and rating patterns, Yeung said.
The scheme also includes appraisal committees and appeal procedures. Yeung said departments facing special challenges or needing to meet international standards could receive discretionary treatment if they provided a strong, reasonable explanation.
The government hopes to review the scheme after two appraisal cycles and introduce a second phase in about two to three years. That phase could cover more grades outside core management, with the aim of including more than half of civil servants. Departments could add grades earlier if their heads judged the first year effective.