Applying for Government Jobs

The Hong Kong SAR Government offers numerous job opportunities with many of them suitable for new graduates. Here you can learn about current government job vacancies for both civil service posts and non-civil service positions, the differences between them, and how to apply.

Where to Look for Government Job Vacancies

There are two types of Government job vacancies – civil service and non-civil service. Civil service vacancies are posts on the civil service establishment. Candidates selected for these jobs will be recruited on civil service terms of appointment and conditions of service. They will become civil servants upon appointment. Candidates appointed to non-civil service positions are not civil servants and will not be eligible for posting, promotion or transfer to any post within the civil service. They also have different terms of appointment and conditions of service.

Generally speaking, new recruits to either type of job must be permanent residents of the Hong Kong SAR. You can find both types of vacancies online. The Government Vacancies Enquiry System covers both civil service and non-civil service openings. The Interactive Employment Service of the Labour Department lists only non-civil service vacancies.

Government job vacancies can generally be found on individual departmental websites.

Government vacancies may also be advertised through local newspapers.

How to Apply for Government Job Vacancies

Most vacancies require applications to be made on Form G.F. 340. You can obtain a copy of this form at any Home Affairs Enquiry Centre of District Offices of the Home Affairs Department or any Job Centre of the Employment Services Division of the Labour Department.

The form can also be downloaded from the Civil Service Bureau’s website. For civil service vacancies, online application can also be made through this website.

Application can also be made on MyGovHK and the procedure is even made easier now.  When an applicant submits an online application through his MyGovHK account, he may choose to use the “auto-fill” function to pre-fill the form with the personal data stored in his MyGovHK account on G.F. 340 On-line Application System.

Qualification Requirements and Assessment

Qualification requirements for civil service posts are normally set with reference to qualifications obtainable under the local education system or from local institutions. Candidates holding non-local qualifications may also apply and will be considered for appointment if their qualifications are assessed as comparable in standard to the entry qualification requirements of the posts being applied for.  Where applicable, in conducting an assessment for non-local qualifications, the Government may make reference to similar assessments it conducted in recent years.

Selection for Appointment

Recruitment Examinations

Applicants for civil service posts and non-civil service positions may be required to sit for a written examination and/or other examinations conducted by the recruiting grades / departments to assess their competencies in the requisite skills and attributes and hence their suitability for appointment. The need for an examination is usually spelt out in the recruitment advertisements.

Language Proficiency Requirements

In general, applicants for civil service grades at degree or professional level are required to obtain either Level 2 or Level 1 in the Use of English (UE) and Use of Chinese (UC) papers in the Common Recruitment Examination (CRE), or equivalent.

Application for the CRE can be made on MyGovHK. When an applicant submits an online application through his MyGovHK account, he may also choose to use the “auto-fill” function to pre-fill the form with the personal data stored in his MyGovHK account on the CRE On-line Application System.

For civil service grades with academic qualification requirements set at non-degree level, individual recruiting departments/grades will stipulate the language proficiency requirements of particular grades in the relevant recruitment advertisements. In general, for grades with academic qualification requirements at the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSEE) / Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) level or above, the language proficiency requirements should be at least Level 2 in the Chinese Language and English Language subjects in the HKDSEE / HKCEE, or equivalent.

Basic Law and National Security Law Test in Civil Service Recruitment

For all civil service recruitment exercises to be advertised on or after 1 July 2022, attaining a pass result in the newly introduced Basic Law and National Security Law Test (BLNST) will be an entry requirement for all civil service jobs. The BLNST will assess candidates' knowledge on both the Basic Law and the National Security Law. The assessment format of the BLNST is set according to the academic qualification requirements stipulated for different types of civil service jobs.