Shortage of civil servants, not departments

A new online magazine – the Hongkonger. Proclaims itself ‘inspired by the New Yorker’. A couple of items by a former local film studies academic (and occasional hiking companion of mine) looks at how older movies are affected by the NatSec laws – here and here. There’s a review of Michael Davis’s Freedom Undone. And more.

The Hongkonger is aimed at the diaspora, which perhaps brings us to the SCMP’s story on vacancy rates in the public sector…

Hong Kong’s public service departments have almost 20,000 vacancies, with some having up to 20 per cent or more of posts unfilled as the number of retirees continues to rise.

The Civil Service Bureau revealed on Friday that RTHK, the city’s public broadcaster, had the highest vacancy rate, with 175 posts unfilled- 23.8 per cent – and the police force had the highest number of jobs available, 6,837, 17.9 per cent of its total establishment.

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department registered a 20 per cent staff shortfall with 460 vacancies.

The Education Bureau recorded a 15.6 per cent vacancy rate with 983 posts unfilled.

…Almost 4,000 civil servants from more than 200 departments quit over the 2022-23 and 2021-22 financial years.

They have more than 200 departments???

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7 Responses to Shortage of civil servants, not departments

  1. numerologist says:

    20,000 vacancies nd 4,000 quit? No sign that government’s downsizing, then…

  2. Chinese Netizen says:

    I don’t see the problem (re: 20k vacancies in government). Isn’t there a vast labor pool of educated, desperately-seeking-work, patriotic youth just north of Lo Wu who would kill for the bragging rights of “I live and work in Hong Kong”?
    Ooooohh…maybe it’s the “live” part that might be a problem.

  3. Chinese Netizen says:

    Ah, I see our friend Stephen Vines is back (via “The Hong Konger”). He’s writing safely from afar but needs to remember…the long arm of NatSec promises a far reach!

  4. Mary Melville says:

    RTHK’s solution to the lack of enthusiasm in signing up is to employ a presenter on its English language channel whose command of the language is about as coherent as my Cantonese.
    Anyone considering applying for a post would balk on reading its annual plan: Sample –
    https://www.rthk.hk/about/pdf/annual_plan2223_en.pdf

  5. seedy tabloid journo Mike Lowse says:

    RTHK used to be the elephant graveyard of washed up expat (read: British) journalists. If you had failed (again) at your latest venture, you could always be assured of a warm seat at RTHK.

    Now that Steve Vines has signed up with The Hongkonger, can Nury be far behind? For that light touch of spicy fun.

  6. Young Winston says:

    “Now that Steve Vines has signed up with The Hongkonger, can Nury be far behind? For that light touch of spicy fun.”

    I don’t imagine that anyone connected with The Hongkonger would care to piss on NV if he was on fire.

  7. Mark Bradley says:

    Nury would only be useful to The Hongkonger as the designated clown that writes something wacky and zany to lighten thing up after all the good stories they report about Hong Kong

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