TNAG-0329-FCO40-365-Briefs-for-UK-officials--visits-to-Hong-Kong-1972 — Page 43

SIR LESLIE MONSON'S VISIT TO HONG KONG: APRIL 1972

Brief No 5

HONG KONG STAFFING PROBLEMS

1. There are 80,000 local officers and 1,900 overseas offi- cers in the Hong Kong Government Service; of the overseas officers, 1,300 are on permanent and pensionable terms and 600 on contract or temporary transfer.

2. A continuing expatriate presence is essential in the

middle and higher levels of the Hong Kong Government Service, particularly in the Administrative Service and in the Police

Force. Hong Kong put their estimate of what that element should be at 50%. In the Administrative Service at present there are too many expatriate officers filling senior appoint- ments and too many Chinese officers in the bottom half of the middle level (2 Chinese to every expatriate).

a lack of experience at the middle level.

3.

*:

There is also

Hong Kong have recently produced a tentative projection of their likely administrative staffing needs. They estimate that they will need 50 administrative officers over the next

5 years. In the longer term, the increase is at the rate of about 3.8% per annum, which will produce an establishment of 260 administrative officers by 1991 or an increase of 140 over 20 years. If it is assumed that there will be a 100% turnover of present staff in that time, 260 administrative officers will be needed half of them expatriate.

1

4.

We must somehow deal with the main problems:-

(1) Overseas officers can no longer see a full career ahead of them and there has been a steady erosion

of expatriate fringe benefits together with a steady

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closing of the gap between salaries in the UK and salaries

/in Hong Kong

CONFIDENTIAL