RTHK reports…
…more than 3,800 civil servants resigned in the past year, the highest figure in almost 30 years.
That represented a resignation rate of 2.2 percent, similar to that of 2021-2022 [compared with 0.5% in late 2010s].
[CS Secretary Ingrid] Yeung said many of those who resigned were younger workers who prefer having different work experiences instead of sticking to one job.
Does this mean civil service salaries are no longer (roughly/allegedly) 50-100% above private-sector equivalents? Or are the ‘different work experiences’ overseas, post-emigration?
Speaking of which, another kindergarten closes…
Vice-chair of the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers Nancy Lam told local media that some 20 kindergartens are expected to close in the coming year, attributing the trend to the emigration wave and young couples’ unwillingness to have children.
There’s only so much paranoia about evil foreign forces, seditious speech, lurking terrorists, radiation, constant jailings and the threat of ‘soft resistance’ anyone can take.
HKFP also reports that Hong Kong students are attempting suicide at the rate of over one every two days. Also, an op-ed on the impact of Covid/NatSec climate on young people’s mental health.
Dr David Owens writes…
This is devastating. It is also a public health failure.
There are well established, evidence based, low cost interventions that have been shown to reduce youth suicide.
2 years ago, I argued that Hong Kong would save many more lives in young people by diverting resources from Covid theatre into suicide prevention strategies. Today we could transfer the insane resources wasted on sushi theatre and have a significant impact on this devastating public health issue.
It would also help if the government stopped, spewing negative energy around invented bogeymen. A culture of fear is very very bad for public health, especially in the young.
Money that could be available for mental health treatment?
Well, how many taxpayers dollars have been pished down the drain on promoting the district elections? Especially when the actual turnout – doesn’t really matter as it might be just ‘the new normal’?
“…more than 3,800 civil servants resigned in the past year, the highest figure in almost 30 years.”
What a great windfall for Hong Kong residents in need of mental health services, nice parks and safe bike lanes. Hahahahahaha!!!
In a couple years it’ll be mandatory to speak Mandarin when dealing with government offices as obviously making up for the leavers are the talent scheme lottery winners from north of LoWu.
Vot is “sushi theatre” ?
Dollar to donuts the civil servants are being told that they will check voter registration rolls to make sure that they voted. If not? Well, looks like you’re not going to be promoted / given a raise / etc. Note: Speculation, no evidence.
Might need to estimate voter turnout ex-civil servants (whose turnout would presumed to be greater than 90% if the intimated threats are actually true).
Re HK-Cynic: remember the adage, ‘you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink’. There will then be the conundrum of how to explain away the high number of spoilt votes. But maybe not, they could always be ‘disappeared’. Oh the tangled webs they weave.
Sushi theatre is testing >10,000 samples of food from Japan for radiation levels when the radiation being discharged at Fukushima is less than that from our nearby Chinese nuclear plants …
https://twitter.com/kjoules/status/1726874260487225673