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Youth IDEAS: Finding civil service talent Mainland career opportunities; Changes in secondary curriculum
Good public governance relies on outstanding talent. This study asks whether the Hong Kong civil service will continue to be an attractive career choice for talented youth and explores the capabilities needed if the civil service is to meet the challenges ahead.
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According to the Hong Kong’s Civil Service Code, the SAR’s civil service is the backbone of the government, supporting it in the formulation, explanation and implementation of policies as well as in the conduct of administrative affairs and the delivery of both public services and law enforcement as part of service to the community. Personnel at Directorate and Administrative Officer Grades play an important role in the HKSAR’s governance landscape. Furthermore, quite a number of Principal Officials in the Governance Team come from the civil service. As a result, it provides an important channel for training government officials in the territory. The civil service is also one of the most popular career choices for young people who can help to ensure its continuity and sustainability. However, the city’s political and social landscape has undergone drastic changes in recent years which have jeopardized the credibility of the SAR government, and the civil service has inevitably been left feeling the heat of public opinion. Given the city's increasingly complicated social development, along with the public's high expectations of civil servants during the full implementation of the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong”, there are concerns about the ability of the civil service to recruit, retain and nurture the talent required to face the challenges ahead.
Key points from respondents
● 92.3% take the view that nurturing talented civil servants is important for Hong Kong.
● Problems being faced by the civil service were rated in terms of severity as follows; 7.97 Lack of public trust in the government 6.96 Social divides 6.42 Failure to attract talented recruits
Note Figures reflect averages on a scale of 0-10, where 10 denotes very serious and 5 denotes moderately serious.
● 62.8% say that they do not want to join the civil service. The most commonly cited reasons in order of priority are:
Tedious nature of civil service jobs Political pressure Reluctance to make an oath of allegiance Unwillingness to join the current government ● 23% say they want to join the civil service, with majority citing good salary and benefits as reasons.
Note 14 civil servants among the respondents were excluded from the above. ● 52.3% think that the civil service system is effective for nurturing talent for governance but 47.4% think otherwise.
From a list of important skills for today’s civil servants, top priority was given as follows: ● 53.9% Understanding public sentiment as the top priority ● 51.4% Ability to collaborate with different stakeholders ● 36.2% Capacity for leadership ● 35.1% Foresight ● 31.3% Ability to make sound political judgements ● 55.8% Hoped that the soon-to-be-established Civil Service
College would nurture appropriate leadership and management skills. ● 54.1% Hoped it would aid the transfer of knowledge and experience accumulated by the civil service.
Note A Legco paper presented in February this year states that the new college will “…help the government enhance training for civil servants in different areas such as understanding of our country’s development and the relationship between the Central Authorities and the (HKSAR), leadership development, innovation and technology applications, and international outlook.” Source legco.gov.hk/yr20-21/english/panels/ps/papers/ps20210217cb4499-4-e.pdf
Key points from individual youth interviews
15 young people were asked individually for their views. Ten were current civil servants. ● The young civil servants said they joined the civil service because of their wish to serve the public. This driving force enabled them to overcome difficulties at work.
Key points from interviews with experts and academics
● Given the rapid changes seen in the city in recent years, greater insight at societal, national and international levels were considered most needed as well as a boost to the morale of civil servants.
Report No.61 HKFYG Youth I.D.E.A.S. Governance group Published title The Challenges of Civil Servant Talent Development Survey respondents 527 young people aged 18-34 Parallel interviews with 15 youth and five experts or academics Date March to April 2021 More details [in Chinese] yrc.hkfyg.org. hk/2021/06/15/yi061/ Enquiries Sharon Cheung 3755 7039 Comments from Youth I.D.E.A.S. think tank members
John Poon, group member “The brain drain in the civil service is now evident and so we call on the government to open up channels for early identification and grooming of potential talent. For example, a new scholarship programme could be launched, with secondary school students as the main target, stipulating that scholarship recipients should work in the government on a part-time or full-time basis for a specific period during their studies or after graduation. Scholarship recipients considered to be of exceptional merit could be offered promotion. The government could also expand channels for recommending students for the Administrative Service Internship Programme. Currently, channels are limited to tertiary institutions but could include think tanks and large community-service or communitybased organizations.” Tony Tsui, group member “The government should develop a nurturing framework to broaden civil servants’ perspective at societal, national and international levels. The framework should also help enhance civil servants’ political awareness, including ability to understand the pulse of society, strengthen national perspective and maintain a world view.” Rita Chan, group member “The government should strengthen civil servants’ sense of mission, the positive image of the service and team morale through social media platforms so as to promote the public service spirit of the profession. Civil servants should be encouraged to share touching and inspiring stories and experiences with the public.”
Navigating Career Opportunities for Young People
Hong Kong has attracted a variety of business enterprises because of its status of an international financial centre and commercial hub. In recent years, the number of mainland Chinese enterprises has surged. What opportunities and challenges does this bring for youth?
The number of enterprises in Hong Kong with parent companies in mainland China jumped from 805 in 2011 to 1,986 in 2020. The proportion of the total by country represented also increased during that period, from 11.6% to 22.0%, becoming the highest of all countries in the business community.1 According to The Hong Kong Chinese Enterprises Association, mainland Chinese enterprises employed over 90,000 people in 2017.2 The various industries they represented brought many job opportunities and hiring by mainland Chinese enterprises has expanded aggressively. However, some companies may fail to attract enough qualified staff because of cross-cultural problems and possible misunderstanding among young people,3 thereby limiting their career choices.
Key points from respondents
● Main factors in job hunting: § Salary / benefits: 72.5% § Promotion opportunities / development prospects: 39.6% § Job nature / personal interests: 33.1% ● Main factors when choosing companies: § Business nature: 59.8% § Company size: 36.9% § Company policy: 32.3% ● 70.0% say company background is not an important factor in job hunting ● 56.9% are willing to join mainland Chinese enterprises. Main factors: § high salary: 37.5% § stable job: 34.1% ● 25.6% are unwilling to join mainland Chinese enterprises. Main factors: § not accustomed to mainland Chinese culture: 60.2% § company policy not transparent: 38.3% In-depth interviews showed that mainland Chinese enterprises can provide a broad range of work experience and, naturally, more mainland-related opportunities. However, some young employees thought that promotion prospects for Hong Kong staff were worse than for mainland staff. Human resources managers said comparative prospects might relate to the increasing competitiveness of mainland staff. Young employees, on the other hand, generally thought that job training in these companies was poor and adaptation to corporate culture was problematic, thus possibly discouraging them from staying. Comments from Youth I.D.E.A.S. think tank members
William Du, group deputy convenor and Carman Lam, group member “In view of the increasing job opportunities in Chinese enterprises, certain measures could be taken to facilitate better use of youth talent, broaden their career choices and improve operational efficiency. First, both parties could benefit if the cultural gap could be narrowed. Second, new trainee programmes with job rotation in Chinese enterprises could be considered. Third, traditional enterprises could improve flexible work arrangements and set up mechanisms for staff feedback collection and response. Tony Lau and Issac Poon, group members “Hong Kong culture is a mix of East and West and has a unique attraction for business. Hong Kong’s young people should maintain their unique competitiveness by broadening their international horizons and enhancing their cultural understanding of both East and West. Those who wish to explore different career development opportunities should find ways to understand different enterprises and choose one that suits them.”
Report No.62 HKFYG Youth I.D.E.A.S. Employment and Economic Development group Published title Navigating Career Opportunities for Young People Respondents 520 employees aged 18-34 were polled. 20 of these respondents who had worked/are working in Chinese enterprises were also interviewed. More details in Chinese yrc.hkfyg.org. hk/2021/08/02/yi062/ Enquiries Amy Yuen 3755 7037
In April 2021, The Education Bureau (EDB) officially announced changes in the curriculum at Secondary 4 level from the beginning of the 2021/22 school year. How have schools and teachers reacted and what do students think?
Changes in curriculum and examination formats affect four core senior secondary subjects: Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics and Liberal Studies, now called Citizenship and Social Development (CSD). Hong Kong’s Education Bureau (EDB) says the changes release lesson time and enhance curriculum flexibility, enabling schools to cater for students’ diverse learning and development needs for the sake of a better future1 . These changes, announced and implemented in such a short period of time, have raised much concern in the education sector. They affect planning and preparation as well as students’ learning, as this survey reveals.
Key points from 395 secondary teachers2
l Generally, understanding of curriculum change is rated above 6: § 7.46 Chinese Language § 8.02 English Language § 8.72 Mathematics § 6.34 CSD ● 4.8 is the average rating on progress in materials for Chinese
Language ● 2.49 is the average on progress in materials for CSD
Responses from 96 former Liberal Studies teachers ● 3.63 is the average confidence rating. ● 7.97 is the level of pressure felt
Pressure on teachers in other subjects was less:
● 5.99 Chinese Language ● 4.77 Mathematics ● 72.9% say the module on “Hong Kong under One Country, Two
Systems” in CSD is the most difficult to teach. Comment from a school principal
“Overall curriculum planning is the most difficult part as it involves rearranging teacher resources and balancing the abilities of students and parents’ views.”
Comments from Youth I.D.E.A.S. think tank members
Derren Lam, group deputy convenor “The EDB needs to promote these changes and explain them so everyone concerned understands the aims and details better.”
Kiu Cheng, group member “More teaching materials, sample examination papers and interactive workshops are needed for lesson planning and teacher confidence.” Dickson Kwok, group member “A mechanism involving teachers for curriculum review that fosters diversified learning is essential. The importance and time allocated to “Other Learning Experiences” and “Applied Learning” could also be increased.”
Views of 975 secondary school students l Ratings of interest in CSD modules: § 4.37 Hong Kong under One Country, Two Systems § 4.20 Our Country since Reform and Opening-up § 5.71 Interconnectedness and Interdependence of the Contemporary World l Preferences on using released lesson time: § 45.4% want to explore personal interests § 34.4% want to participate in experiential learning
Report No.63 HKFYG Youth I.D.E.A.S. Education group Published title Preparing for the Changes in the Senior Secondary Curriculum Participants/respondents 395 secondary school core subject teachers and 975 junior secondary school students. 3 principals and 11 teachers were interviewed in-depth. More details in Chinese yrc.hkfyg.org. hk/2021/08/30/yi063/ Enquiries Vivian Yeung 3755 7038
