Over 1,000 civil servants are suspected to have abused their sick leaves in the past five years, which averages to 210 per year, but almost 37 percent of civil servants have already reached their maximum salary point, which means they would not get a pay hike regardless of their working performance, according to a Legislative Council study report, while the LegCo Secretariat noted that the society cast doubts on the mechanism.
As of March last year, Hong Kong has around 170,000 civil servants, with 87 percent in lower and middle ranks and 12 percent in upper ranks.
Since 2000, the government has operated a performance-based pay system, where only those with a “satisfactory” annual review are supposed to receive salary increments. However, the LegCo Secretariat’s research found public skepticism over whether the system truly motivates better performance.
37pc at max pay with no raises
Data shows that as of 2024, 37 percent of civil servants have hit their salary caps, leaving no room for raises even if they perform well.
Over the past five years, only 65 civil servants were denied pay increases due to poor appraisals — suggesting grading standards may be too lenient, the report said.
The Secretariat criticized that salary adjustments still follow a blanket approach rather than rewarding individual performance, citing recurrent suggestions of reviewing the pay structure to better reflect merit.
1,052 cases of suspected sick leave abuse in 5 years
Meanwhile, the report highlighted that 1,052 suspected cases of sick leave misuse were detected during 2020 to 2024, including 219 cases last year alone.
The Secretariat noted observers’ advice to strengthen the audit system and improve monitoring, such as flagging sick leave taken around public holidays.
