Government to conduct preliminary study on retirement age

Study to be finalized by early-2014.

In a report, Secretary for the Civil Service Paul Tang said the Civil Service Bureau is conducting a preliminary study on civil service retirement age.

In a reply to a question in the Legislative Council today on retired disciplined services officers employed as non-civil service contract staff, Mr Tang said there are 115 such retirees serving their departments, in an arrangement that allows operational flexibility.

The study planned for all civil service jobs is aimed at facilitating succession planning, and will identify and address operational needs, manpower planning, and serving officers' promotion prospects.

Input from bureau and departmental management, including disciplined services, will be invited. Mr Tang said he hoped to complete the study around the end of this year or early 2014.

In addition to the study, the Security Bureau and disciplined services departments will map out detailed plans and conduct recruitment exercises.

According to the Treasury, about 1,500 disciplined services staff are projected to retire each year from 2013 to 2017 at normal prescribed retirement ages.

Disciplined services has a well established succession-planning mechanism, he said.