Hong Kong Civil Service Vacancy Rate: Headcount, Vacancies and Recruitment Trends
At 31 March 2026, Hong Kong had 170,193 civil servants and 19,287 statistical vacancies, giving a vacancy rate of 10.2%. This is an important long-term staffing signal for applicants, but it does not mean that 19,287 recruitment advertisements were open at the same time. This article combines quarterly vacancies, the annual age profile and staff movements to explain what the figures actually mean.
Data retrieved: 26 July 2026
Latest key figures
Civil-service strength
170,193
-1.5% year on year
Statistical vacancies
19,287
+1.8% year on year
Vacancy rate
10.2%
Vacancies ÷ (strength + vacancies)
Appointments / departures
6,606 / 7,506
Financial year 2025-26
What do the latest figures say?
C&SD counted 170,193 civil servants at 31 March 2026, down 2,558 or 1.5% year on year. There were 19,287 statistical vacancies, up 1.8% year on year. Together, filled posts and vacancies represented 189,480 employment opportunities.
For the same date, the Civil Service Bureau reported an establishment of 189,963 civil-service posts and the same strength of 170,193. The difference was 19,770, but that gap should not be treated as the C&SD vacancy count because the two statistical measures do not use identical coverage and treatment rules.
The vacancy rate has more than doubled in eleven years
In March 2015 the civil-service vacancy rate was 4.6%, representing 7,824 vacancies. By March 2026 it had reached 10.2%% and 19,287 vacancies. The vacancy count was about 146.5% higher than in March 2015.
The trend points to sustained staffing pressure across the service, but it is not a forecast that a particular grade will recruit heavily. Departments, grades, application windows and selection requirements are still controlled by the official recruitment notices.
Quarterly civil-service vacancy rate
The Hong Kong civil-service vacancy rate rose from 4.6% in March 2015 to 10.2% in March 2026.
| Quarter | Vacancy rate | Statistical vacancies |
|---|---|---|
| 31 March 2015 | 4.6% | 7,824 |
| 31 March 2016 | 4.6% | 8,086 |
| 31 March 2017 | 4.9% | 8,663 |
| 31 March 2018 | 4.2% | 7,541 |
| 31 March 2019 | 5.3% | 9,819 |
| 31 March 2020 | 5.7% | 10,663 |
| 31 March 2021 | 7.9% | 15,144 |
| 31 March 2022 | 8.7% | 16,802 |
| 31 March 2023 | 9.9% | 19,171 |
| 31 March 2024 | 10.2% | 19,736 |
| 31 March 2025 | 9.9% | 18,938 |
| 31 March 2026 | 10.2% | 19,287 |
Statistical vacancies versus recruitment advertisements
C&SD defines the vacancy rate as vacancies divided by employment opportunities, where employment opportunities equal persons engaged plus vacancies. Vacancies due to be deleted and vacancies temporarily filled by temporary staff or staff of other grades are excluded.
The headcount also has a specific scope. It excludes ICAC officers, judicial officers, locally engaged staff in Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices outside Hong Kong, and other government employees such as non-civil-service contract staff. It should not be read as the total number of everyone working for the Government.
Retirement and workforce age create continuing replacement needs
During 2025-26, 6,606 people were appointed while 7,506 left the service. Departures included 5,329 retirements and 1,718 resignations. Appointments were 900 below departures, consistent with the direction of the year-on-year fall in strength.
At 31 March 2026, 24,605 civil servants were aged 55 or above, around 14.5% of the workforce. This does not mean they will all retire immediately, but the age profile and annual retirement count together show why replacement demand remains an important medium-term recruitment backdrop.
Civil-service age profile
Civil-service strength by age group at 31 March 2026.
| Age group | People |
|---|---|
| Under 25 | 1,902 |
| 25–34 | 43,624 |
| 35–44 | 55,411 |
| 45–54 | 44,651 |
| 55 or above | 24,605 |
Staff movements in 2025–26
Appointments compared with retirements, resignations and other departures.
| Movement | People |
|---|---|
| Appointments | 6,606 |
| Retirements | 5,329 |
| Resignations | 1,718 |
| Other departures | 459 |
How applicants should use these figures
First, find vacancies actually accepting applications in the government vacancy system; do not interpret the service-wide vacancy rate as an acceptance rate for a grade. Second, check the stated education, experience, language, BLNST, CRE and JRE requirements in every notice.
Third, work backwards from the application deadline to plan examinations, documents and interview preparation. Fourth, compare role guides for duties, selection stages and likely interview situations before choosing where to focus your preparation.
Method and limitations
Strength, vacancies and vacancy rates come from C&SD table 215-16011. Age, salary-group, appointment and wastage figures come from the Civil Service Bureau annual and quarterly personnel datasets. All charts use the same observation date, with category totals and formulas validated before publication.
The data describes the service as a whole. It does not provide department- or grade-level competition rates and cannot replace an official recruitment notice. When the sources change, the article is refreshed through a validated quarterly update process.
Official data sources
HKPublicCareer.com is independent. Entry requirements, recruitment numbers and application deadlines are controlled by the latest official notices.