【明報專訊】WITH A GROWING FISCAL DEFICIT, the Hong Kong government has repeatedly emphasised the need to cut costs and freeze the expansion of civil service staffing. Yet, the regular creation of time-limited directorate posts has sparked public concern. The Legislative Council's Finance Committee has approved 49 such positions this term, including 19 extensions or reappointments, at an annual cost of over $280 million. Alarmingly, 10 of these supposedly "temporary" roles have remained in place for more than a decade, defying their intended short-term nature.
Over the past decade, the size of Hong Kong's public service has continuously expanded, leading to concerns over staff redundancy. Active measures to reduce public servant expenditure are needed, rather than merely "freezing" the growth of the establishment.
The SAR government has consistently increased its workforce from 160,000 to 190,000 employees over the past ten years. In 2022/23, civil service salaries alone reached $149.1 billion, accounting for more than 20% of the government's operating expenditure. Subsidised organisations added another $150.5 billion to the payroll burden. The latest blog post from the Financial Secretary mentions the need to scrutinise the expenditure structure in certain areas and review the operation modes of individual funding programmes to ensure financial sustainability. However, there has been no specific indication on reducing government administrative and salary expenditures. Whether it is a zero growth in the civil service establishment or a continuous 1% reduction in recurrent expenditure over three consecutive years to reallocate resources, strictly speaking, these measures only control the pace of expenditure growth and do not involve staff cuts or salary reductions.
The proliferation of time-limited directorate posts warrants particular scrutiny. These posts, with monthly salaries ranging from $100,000 to $200,000, are ostensibly created to address specific time-limited tasks. However, many persist for over ten years. For instance, the Housing Bureau (then Transport and Housing Bureau) established a temporary position in 2021 to oversee transitional housing projects. With the current administration's focus on "light public housing" and "basic housing units" (subdivided flats that meet a set of standards), an additional three positions were created. This is despite the Housing Bureau already employing 68 directorate officers in 2022, drawing scepticism even from Executive Council convenor Regina Ip. Similarly, the works departments frequently apply for new senior positions whenever a major project arises, highlighting a systemic tendency to "add posts for every policy".
The government must seriously review whether the creation of posts is necessary, and eliminate or consolidate redundant positions with single duties. It should also reassess the directorate establishment and redeploy existing manpower to deal with the work according to its priority and importance. Any new policy necessitating additional roles should adhere to a strict "one-in, one-out" principle to maintain discipline in headcount. At the same time, the Legislative Council must impose stricter scrutiny on proposals for new or extended positions, ensuring they are justified, efficient, and aligned with clear timelines.
In the past two years, the government has launched numerous policy measures to stimulate economic development. However, being proactive does not mean incessantly creating new positions, especially under the current fiscal constraints. The authorities must be prudent to prevent the continuous expansion of public servant expenditures and ensure that the policy of "zero growth" in public service is not merely an empty promise.
明報社評2025.01.07：公僕開支須削減 編外職位莫濫開
政府財赤龐大，當局一再強調節流，維持公務員編制「零增長」，但「首長級編外職位」的頻繁開設卻引發質疑。本屆立法會財委會已通過49個首長級編外職位，包括19個延長時限或重設的職位，每年耗費逾2.8億元，當中10個職位「臨時」存續至少10年，與原本臨時性質背道而馳。
本港公務員編制過去10年不斷膨脹，冗員問題惹人關注，理應積極「瘦身」削減公務員開支，而不止是「凍結」編制增長。
特區政府近10年持續增加人手，從16萬人增至19萬人，2022/23年度薪酬開支達1491億元，相當於政府經營開支逾兩成，另資助機構薪酬支出亦高達1505億元。財政司長最新網誌提到，一些範疇的開支結構有需要檢視，個別資助計劃運作模式須檢討，確保財政上的可持續性，然而在削減政府行政開支及薪酬開支方面，未見有何較為具體的表示。無論是公務員編制零增長，還是連續3個年度削減1%經常開支以便重新調配資源，嚴格而言只是控制經營開支「膨脹速度」，並未涉及裁減冗員或減薪。
首長級編外職位的開設尤為引人注目，月薪高達10萬至20萬元，但多個職位「臨時」超過10年。例如房屋局（時為運房局）於2021年因推動過渡性房屋增設一個編外職位，現屆政府推動簡約公屋及簡樸房，則再增設3個編外職位。2022年房屋局已有68名首長級官員，但仍以簡樸房為由新增職位；就連行政會議召集人葉劉淑儀亦質疑此舉。同樣，工務部門每遇大型新項目亦傾向申請新增首長級職位，反映「逢政策必開位」的文化。
政府須認真檢視開設職位是否必要，刪減或合併職責單一的編外職位；亦須檢討首長級編制，按工作優次及重要性，調動現有人手處理。若新政策需設立職位，應嚴格遵循「一換一」原則，通過削減其他職位平衡資源分配。立法會亦須加強監察，對新增及延長職位的申請嚴加審查，促使當局加速完成相關工作，避免拖延及浪費。
過去兩年，政府為了拼經濟謀發展，推出不少政策措施，然而積極有為不等於必須不斷「開位」，尤其是當下公共財政緊絀，當局更應慎重，不能讓公務員開支不斷膨脹，令人覺得「公務員編制零增長」只是空話。
■ Glossary 生字 /
proliferation : rapid increase in the number or amount of sth
ostensibly : as appears or is stated to be true, though not necessarily so; apparently
scepticism : an attitude of doubting that claims or statements are true or that sth will happen