Hong Kong may punish underperforming senior civil servants with pay freezes

Authorities are considering introducing a new accountability system that will punish underperforming senior officials with pay freezes, Hong Kong’s leader has said, stressing that it aims to strengthen leadership and improve policy implementation.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday that the government was exploring such a system, which would complement the existing accountability framework for principal officials that has been in place for 23 years.

“I hope to enhance the leadership and roles of senior officials in managing recurring or broad issues within their own departments,” he said before his weekly meeting with the Executive Council, the city’s key decision-making body.

“The ultimate goal is to ensure policies are implemented effectively and benefit the public by establishing a result-oriented team, be it civil servants executing the policies, senior officials in leadership roles, or our governing team.”

Lee revealed in a recent media interview that under the proposed system, senior officials would undergo appraisals annually, with those underperforming facing consequences such as pay freezes.

He also stressed that if senior officials exercised effective leadership in daily operations, recurring problems would be prevented and serious issues would not arise.

Lee said the city secured second position globally for government efficiency in the latest world competitiveness ranking by IMD Business School, noting that the new system could further strengthen governance.