Following are the remarks by the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, on the work of civil service pay adjustment at a media session at noon today (May 28):

Reporter: First, following the (initial) findings of the Pay Trend Survey, what's the way forward, and would the Government take into account social sentiment as well as any major single social event when considering pay levels? And secondly, what's the Government's take on setting a cap on the number of civil servants who will be granted or not granted a pay rise?

Secretary for the Civil Service: As in past years, after having the net pay trend indicators, we will do an analysis of the other five factors that the Executive Council has to take into account, and then we will present our analysis to the Executive Council to enable the Council to make an informed, balanced and the most appropriate decision. We will go on doing that. As for social sentiment, I think public reaction or public acceptance of the proposed policy decision is a factor that the Executive Council will take into consideration in making any decision, not only this one. So, this is a given. As for the 5 per cent you mentioned (minimum combined guided percentage for level 4, 5 and 6 ratings under the Performance Appraisal Enhancement Scheme for Civil Servants), the 5 per cent that we give as guidance for departments to follow when they are doing the appraisals, we have considered similar practices in other jurisdictions as well as considered the actual situation in government departments in coming up with this decision and deciding on this percentage. 

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks.)

Ends/Thursday, May 28, 2026
Issued at HKT 17:18

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