Hong Kong’s success is built largely on the back of its efficient civil service, in which almost everything operates smoothly. And when problems occur, they are dealt with quickly and professionally.

Cases in point include the introduction of new national security laws to combat the rampant riots and their causes, which rocked the city in 2019-20, as well as the foresight in planning for the city’s future development with the Northern Metropolis project, which will foster new technologies and industries employing thousands of skilled workers, technologists, and scientists over the next two decades.

Managing 172,800 civil servants, or 4.5 percent of Hong Kong’s workforce, who are instrumental in driving progress, is no simple task. Within its ranks, there is still a certain amount of “deadwood” — people who are either shirkers or who work to their level of incompetence and not beyond.

In the past, those who could be described as “deadwood” were tolerated and allowed to continue with their uninspiring performance until retirement. However, the administration of Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu is now taking a tougher stance and plans to trim the civil service by 2 percent each year in 2026-27 and 2027-28. By April 1, 2027, some 10,000 posts are expected to have been deleted. In fact, there has been no growth in the civil service since the 2021-22 fiscal year, which is necessary to ensure the sustainability of public finances.

But Lee is going further than just trimming the size of the civil service; he is also going to improve its efficiency to build what he described in his recent Policy Address as a “result-oriented government”. Already, its performance is reflected in the World Competitiveness Yearbook 2025, which ranked Hong Kong second globally in “government efficiency”. Lee is aiming for the top rung of the ladder.

This overhaul of the accountability system is essential for the sake of transparency and efficiency in the civil service, so that taxpayers can see that they are getting value for money. At the end of the day, it can mean only one thing: Hong Kong will have a more efficient and accountable civil service, shaping its future while elevating its status on the world stage, boosting the confidence of residents and foreign business people who intend to work or invest in Hong Kong

He noted that, given the large number of executive departments and officers in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, problems inevitably occur in individual units. “The causes behind them must be identified in good time and rectified to prevent them from undermining the overall trust that society places in the government, and to avoid causing injustice to the overwhelming majority of our civil servants, who are dedicated to their duties,” he said.

In other words, he is seeking value for money. Hong Kong’s officeholders are among the highest-paid government officials in the world, with many in the higher levels of the civil service earning more than the heads of state in many countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Their remuneration packages include a basic salary, housing allowance, medical benefits, and various perks.

Lee’s salary, for example, is about HK$469,000 ($63,790) per month, and that of heads of bureaus is about HK$376,000 per month. Lee remains the second-highest-paid government leader in the world, trailing only Singapore’s prime minister, Lawrence Wong, who earns approximately 2.2 million Singaporean dollars annually ($1.67 million). A senior civil servant earns a maximum of around HK$147,000 per month before reaching directorate grade. It is money well spent to ensure we have the best people running Hong Kong, earning the city its enviable international reputation for clean and efficient government. Competition for talent with the private sector is tough, considering that a chief executive officer of a private company earns approximately HK$200,000 per month. With so much invested in the civil service, the public deserves the very best people, just as Lee does, and more. He is making heads of departments more accountable in staff management. Although heads of departments have always been responsible for the work of their departments, Lee noted the government had not yet institutionalized overall accountability, which is of critical significance.

The objective of Lee’s Policy Address proposal to introduce a Heads of Department Accountability System is to identify more effective management teams and operating systems, eliminate bottlenecks, improve workflow, and enhance departmental flow efficiency, with the ultimate goal of improving official accountability.

The core of the new accountability system is the establishment of an investigative mechanism to identify deficiencies in departments and implement improvements. Where a head of department may be involved in malpractice, a special panel will investigate the problem, which will be independent from the government’s civil service efficiency unit to ensure impartiality. The panel will operate under the auspices of the Public Service Commission, a statutory body that advises the chief executive on public service matters.

This overhaul of the accountability system is essential for the sake of transparency and efficiency in the civil service, so that taxpayers can see that they are getting value for money. At the end of the day, it can mean only one thing: Hong Kong will have a more efficient and accountable civil service, shaping its future while elevating its status on the world stage, boosting the confidence of residents and foreign business people who intend to work or invest in Hong Kong.

The author is a former chief information officer of the Hong Kong government, a PR and media consultant and veteran journalist. 

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.