POLICY EXPRESS · PE-CSB-128 · Civil Service Bureau
Recruitment, Retention and Succession in Graduate Grades
Applicants remain plentiful; the pressure is at the other end — who leaves, from which rank, and who replaces them.
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2 pages · English and 繁體中文 · Built on the 1134211 Framework · Facts as at 25 October 2026
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The tension and our thesis
The tension
Hong Kong still attracts more than 20,000 applicants for graduate-grade posts. Yet it recruits fewer — 168 and 179, against 306 in 2023-24 — while Administrative Officer departures have risen to 36 and most retirements are at directorate level.
Our thesis
Graduate-grade succession depends on who leaves and why, so retention evidence must come before any change in intake.
Three policy problems this brief examines
- 01Intake is low while demand is high
- 02Exits sit near the top
- 03Little is published on why people go
Each problem is developed in three layers: the fact, why it persists, and the consequence for the system.
Three options compared
A · Raise intake (supply-led): larger exercises in graduate grades.
B · Retention evidence (data-led): exits by rank and reason; succession map.
C · Open senior recruitment (lateral): fill directorate roles from outside.
The scored comparison, the justified recommendation with its phased measures, the implementation challenges, the stakeholder assessment and the success metrics are in the full brief.
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Both pages, in English and Traditional Chinese: the introduction and background, key figures, the three policy problems, the scored options, the recommendation with its phased measures, the implementation challenges, the stakeholder assessment and the conclusion.
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