Lawmakers raise concerns over civil servants' sick leave abuse

Hong Kong lawmakers have expressed concerns about potential abuse of sick leave by civil servants, with officials maintaining that current oversight mechanisms remain robust and transparent.

The issue was raised during a Legislative Council session on Wednesday, where lawmaker Kenneth Fok Kai-kong questioned whether the government would tighten sick leave management for public sector employees.

Citing official figures, Fok noted that the total number of sick days taken by civil servants under non-work-related injury leave reached 1.2 million in 2023 and 1.1 million in 2024—a significant increase from the 900,000 days recorded in 2022, when pandemic-related absences were still prevalent.

While departments can require employees suspected of abusing sick leave to seek medical assessment at public hospitals or clinics, Fok argued that public skepticism persists about the system’s effectiveness.

He highlighted a case in which a frontline civil servant took 110 days of sick leave after being pushed by a member of the public while on duty. After returning to work for a year and a half, the employee took nearly another year of leave.

Fok mentioned that years later, the department sought to recover hundreds of thousands of dollars in salary and compensation from the citizen involved—a move Fok described as alarming upon reviewing the medical reports.

Fok emphasized that the responsibility for preventing sick leave misuse does not lie solely with the Civil Service Bureau but extends to all government departments. He warned that transferring the financial burden of such cases to taxpayers is unacceptable and called for greater scrutiny to maintain the quality of Hong Kong’s public services.

In response, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan defended the existing system, stating that departments regularly monitor sick leave trends and can demand medical certification if abuse is suspected.

She also noted that employees taking more than 91 days of sick leave must undergo review by a medical board.

While acknowledging concerns over frequent short-term absences—such as employees taking two sick days per week without medical proof—Yeung stressed that such privileges can be revoked if misused.

Last year, over 200 civil servants were required to undergo government medical examinations due to suspected sick leave abuse, though not all cases were confirmed as misuse.

Yeung reiterated that the current framework is both stringent and transparent, with mechanisms in place to address irregularities. The debate underscores ongoing efforts to balance employee welfare with accountability in Hong Kong’s civil service.