Following is the speech by the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, at the opening ceremony of the Government Career Fair at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) today (September 11):
Professor Lee (Provost and Deputy President of CityU, Professor Lee Chun-sing), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning. It gives me great pleasure to be here today for the Opening Ceremony of the Government Career Fair at the City University of Hong Kong, and to see so many young faces around.
Young people are Hong Kong's future and the civil service is the backbone of the Government. To maintain an energetic team with promising candidates to succeed their predecessors at different levels, the Government has been making relentless efforts to attract aspiring young people to join the civil service in recent years. The Government Career Fair is one of our flagship initiatives aiming at providing an interactive platform for students to explore potential career pathways in the Government and learn more about job opportunities available within the civil service. We started the Career Fair last year at three local universities, attracting over 1 000 students to our booths and counters. This year, we are expanding the Career Fair to cover 10 local universities and more civil service grades, and the largest-ever job bazaar is hosted here in CityU today. I hope this is a befitting tribute to the University, which is celebrating, this year, its 30th anniversary, meaning that it has had 30 years of success in nurturing young talents and enhancing their employability.
As we gather here today, I can sense so strongly the vibrancy of youth, a vibrancy that is vital to the progress of our society. Your energy, passion and fresh perspectives are indispensable assets that can drive advancement and innovation within the Government and in the public service. It is with this in mind that I encourage each and every one of you to consider pursuing a career in the civil service. As the largest employer in Hong Kong with around 380 grades, that is 380 different job types, the Government offers around 10,000 job openings across various departments every year. Amongst the wide range of job opportunities we offer, there is for sure a place for you regardless of where your passion lies. Whether it is policymaking, public administration, law enforcement, healthcare, engineering, information technology or even broadcasting, law drafting or any other field of interest, we have a place for you.
Many job seekers may find civil service jobs attractive because of the remuneration package. It is certainly true that a civil service career will enable one to afford a decent living standard, but those who have joined the Government would also agree that the greatest reward actually comes from serving the community, driving changes and making a positive impact in society. Imagine being at the forefront to provide quality and diversified education opportunities to children of different talents, or to revitalise tourism to attract people from all over the world to experience Hong Kong, or to improve the opportunities and benefit of a hitherto overlooked underprivileged group. This is very exciting. Having been a civil servant for over 36 years, I can assure you that it is incredibly fulfilling to know that your daily work can lead to tangible and intangible improvements in individuals' lives and in the well-being of the community.
Apart from the immeasurable sense of fulfilment, joining the civil service also provides you with a promising career path in a caring environment with ample opportunities for personal and professional growth. The Government invests heavily in structured and diversified training programmes for professional development opportunities for civil servants' career progression. For instance, with the support of the Central People's Government and the assistance of the Commissioner's Office of the Foreign Ministry in the HKSAR (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region), the Government has fielded young officers to take part in the United Nations Junior Professional Officers Programme since 2019. Our young officers selected into the Programme have the chance to work in United Nations offices in exciting places such as New York, Geneva and Vienna as Chinese Personnel. Besides, the Government also regularly arranges professional and management training in the Mainland and overseas, as well as secondment opportunities to the public and private sectors, with a view to widening the exposure of civil servants while preparing them for career advancement.
We understand that many aspiring undergraduates are already looking beyond the campus into the professional world well before they reach their final year of study. To enable young people to better plan their future career advancement, for certain civil service positions, such as Administrative Officers and Executive Officers, we have since last year expanded the pool of eligible candidates to undergraduates and postgraduates in their penultimate year of study. Government departments have also stepped up recruitment drives and some of them are conducting year-round recruitment for specific grades. I am pleased to tell you that these initiatives have received very warm responses. The number of university students applying for the Common Recruitment Examination and the Basic Law and National Security Law Test, which are the doorstep to individual civil service job's recruitment process, surged from around 2 500 in June 2023 to around 4 600 in June 2024, representing an increase of more than 80 per cent. Among them, 35 per cent are students in their penultimate year of study. There is also a notable increase in the number of applications for civil service jobs overall.
In the Career Fair today, 30 government bureaux and departments have sent representatives from over 50 civil service grades to share their work experience with students. For those who aspire to join us in serving the public, you are invited to make the best use of today's opportunity to visit our exhibition booths and enrol in the recruitment talks to learn more about the roles that civil servants play in shaping our society. This is not just about seeking a job, it's about discovering a vocation that resonates with your passion and aspirations.
Before I close, please allow me to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Professor Lee and CityU members for hosting this meaningful event. Thank you, and congratulations on your 30 years of success in the pursuit of academic excellence and in the provision of quality education.
Finally, may I borrow the words of a famous man, Steve Jobs, on this occasion: "The only way to do great work is to love what you do." For students and young fellows joining us today, I hope all of you will have an enriching experience here and find the path you love very soon to embark on a career journey filled with successes and fulfilments. Thank you.
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