Hong Kong Government Announces Joint Recruitment for Various Officer Positions Starting September 14, 2024.

Recruitment for four civil service graduate grades to start on Saturday

The Government will launch a joint recruitment exercise for the appointment as Administrative Officer (AO), Executive Officer II, Assistant Trade Officer II and Transport Officer II in 2024-25 on September 14 (Saturday). Applicants must submit their applications through the online application system on the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) website. The deadline for submitting applications is 11.59pm on October 4 (Hong Kong time).

The recruitment is open to all permanent residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) who meet the relevant entry requirements. Students pursuing a bachelor's degree or equivalent and graduating in the years of 2025 or 2026 may also apply. The respective recruitment targets are set out below:

Posts

Recruitment target

Administrative Officer

50

Executive Officer II

200

Assistant Trade Officer II

3

Transport Officer II

10

Arrangements will be made for eligible applicants to take the Joint Recruitment Examination (JRE) tentatively scheduled to be held on December 7 in Hong Kong.

In addition to taking the JRE, applicants for these posts will need to have obtained:

(a) Level 2 in the two language papers (Use of Chinese and Use of English) in the Common Recruitment Examination (CRE), or other results which are accepted as equivalent (details are set out on the CSB's CRE website at www.csb.gov.hk/eng/cre.html);

(b) a pass result in the Aptitude Test paper in the CRE; and

(c) a pass result in the Basic Law and National Security Law Test (BLNST) (degree/professional grades).

Applicants who have not attained the requisite CRE and/or BLNST results may also apply. Arrangements will be made for them to take a designated CRE and BLNST tentatively scheduled for December 7 in Hong Kong. They must obtain the requisite results for their JRE answers to be processed.

Applicants could also choose to attend the JRE in one of the seven cities outside Hong Kong (i.e. Beijing, Shanghai, London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver and Sydney). In addition, the CRE and BLNST (degree / professional grades) are also tentatively scheduled to be held on December 7 in these seven cities. The application period for the CRE and BLNST is the same as that of the joint recruitment exercise. Applicants may apply for the CRE and BLNST through an online application system on the CSB's website from September 14 to October 4 (Hong Kong time). The details and online application system will be available on the CSB's CRE website during the application period. Similarly, applicants who will take the CRE and BLNST outside Hong Kong have to obtain the requisite results for their JRE answers to be processed.

Details of the joint recruitment exercise will be uploaded to the CSB's website at www.csb.gov.hk, as well as on the HKSAR Government portal (GovHK) at www.gov.hk from this Saturday. For the recruitment of AO, relevant information will also be available on a dedicated website at www.ao-recruitment.gov.hk. Applicants must apply through an online application system on the CSB's website. Applications submitted by post, fax or e-mail will not be accepted.

Applicants may visit the CSB's website for any updates of the examination arrangements.

Employers, contractors and employees should be aware of electrical safety at work during rainstorm

As the rainstorm warning has been issued by the Hong Kong Observatory, the Labour Department (LD) reminds employers and contractors that they should adopt necessary work arrangements and take suitable safety measures to protect the safety of their employees when they are carrying out electrical work or handling electrical plant.

A spokesman for the LD said today (September 17) that employers and contractors should avoid assigning employees to carry out electrical work (like electric arc welding work) or handle electrical plant at places affected by rainstorms, and should refer to the "Code of Practice in Times of Adverse Weather and 'Extreme Conditions'" and the "Guide on Safety at Work in times of Inclement Weather" issued by the LD.

Even if electrical work is carried out or electrical plant is handled at places not affected by the rainstorm, suitable safety measures must still be adopted to prevent electric shock as the air would be more humid. Such measures include:

(i) Ensure that all live parts of an electrical installation are isolated from the power supply source and rendered dead, and the isolation from the power supply source must be maintained as long as electrical work is being carried out;

(ii) Before carrying out any electrical work or handling any electrical plant, cut off and lock out the power supply source, then test the circuit concerned to confirm it is dead and display suitable warning notices, and issue a work permit thereafter;

(iii) Ensure that protective devices (such as suitable and adequate fuses and circuit breakers) for the electrical installations or electrical plant have been installed and maintained in good working order, and portable electric tools must be double-insulated or properly earthed;

(iv) Provide suitable personal protective equipment such as insulating gloves and insulating mats for employees; and

(v) If live electrical work is unavoidable, a comprehensive risk assessment should be conducted by a competent person and the appropriate safety precautions should be taken to remove or properly control the electrical hazards involved before such work can proceed.

In addition, employees should co-operate with the employer or contractor to follow the safety instructions and use the safety equipment provided.

The LD has published guidebooks and leaflets on electrical work safety. These safety publications are available free from divisional offices of the department or can be downloaded from its website (www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/content2_8.htm).

Should there be any questions about occupational safety and health matters, please contact the Occupational Safety Officer of the LD at 2559 2297.

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