1
A BRIEF ON THE CIVIL SERVICE BRANCH OF
THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT
HUD 256/4
Introduction
手
Hong Kong's economy depends almost totally on its active, international trade without which it
it cannot manage to feed, clothe, house, transport and provide other amenities for its 5.5 million people. Over the years, Hong Kong has developed extensive commercial links and is today,
the 13th largest trading entity in the world. It is a
thriving commercial and financial centre and its average
national income is among the highest in Asia. One of the main driving forces behind Hong Kong's outstanding economic performance is its civil service. Without a highly efficient and responsible government to enforce law and order, provide a stable social and political environment, and ensure that the infrastructure of the community can meet its needs, Hong Kong's spirit of enterprise and economic dynamism
dynamism could hardly have developed to its present capacity.
The Civil Service
2.
The
civil
service
staffs
all Government
departments and other units of the Administration. It
employs some 185,000 people, or about seven per cent of Hong Kong's labour force and has grown by about two per cent a year. With Hong Kong's centralised form of government, the civil service operates a wide range of services which in
many countries might be administered by other public authorities, e.g. public works and utilities, urban cleansing and public health, education, fire services, the
/P. 2