Hong Kong, 13 December 2023: “Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble, Grubb!” So went the fire brigade roll-call in the classic children’s TV series, Trumpton. In each episode, they would answer an emergency – recovering the mayor’s hat from a tree, unblocking the movement of the town clock, and so forth – amid scenes of mild drama. They even rescued a rocking horse containing carpenter Chippy Minton’s savings. Rest assured, dear readers, the stories always had a happy outcome.
A reliable roll-call is occupying the minds of Hong Kong’s fire service chiefs right now. They are relaxing eyesight and fitness requirements for new recruits in the hope of bolstering their ranks; currently, the pass rate is 60%, they would prefer it to be nearer 90%. The service needs 120 more firefighters and 90 station officers, plus there are vacancies in the ambulance corps.
The move follows a similar easing of standards by the police after the force failed to hit recruitment targets three years in a row. Minimum height and weight limits have been scrapped and candidates can now wear glasses or contact lenses for eye tests. The measures, according to a spokesman, are designed to “maintain competitiveness in the human resources market”.
Recruitment remains a concern for our city’s six disciplined forces. Applications have shrunk 52% in the past five years while resignations are up 44%. While acknowledging the challenges caused by a drop in Hong Kong’s working population and fewer secondary school graduates, senior officers are optimistic, pointing to university drives, experience days and various other initiatives to improve the headcount.
Amid the talent search, Fire and Ambulance Services Academy Commandant Yiu Men-yeung speaks of enticing candidates from more diverse backgrounds. Absolutely! According to the Home Affairs Bureau, about 8.4% of our city’s population are non-Chinese, although it points out not all of these are permanently settled. More than 42,000 citizens identify as Indian, over 24,000 as Pakistani and almost 30,000 as Nepalese. In many cases, their families have lived here for generations.
To be fair, our disciplined services are on the case. Since setting up its “Project NOVA” four years ago – featuring life planning workshops, academy visits and fitness training sessions – the Correctional Services Department has recruited 24 ethnic minority citizens; Yau Tsim Police District’s “Project Gemstone” for non-ethnic Chinese youths has yielded 39 recruits, 23 joining the police and the remainder going to other disciplined services; the Fire Services Department has an “Ethnic Minority Youth Development Team” working in the community, an initiative which has resulted in 15 non-ethnic Chinese personnel.
The Hong Kong Police Force also organises regular training camps supported by the other disciplined services. These feature induction seminars, fitness sessions and team building exercises. So far, some 420 young people have passed through these. It is worth noting as well that 13 police districts are involved in a programme to recruit Community Liaison Assistants – fluent in languages such as Urdu, Hindi and Thai – to assist the force in connecting with minority populations.
No doubt Ricky Chu approves of all this. The Equal Opportunities Commission Chairperson points out that his organisation continues to work with both the public and private sector in “lowering employment barriers”. Since 2018, the EOC has been engaging with businesses through its racial diversity and inclusion charter for employers, with nearly 400 organisations signing up. He says it is “heartening” to see government departments adopting more inclusive practices in line with Chief Executive John Lee’s latest Policy Address.
If our disciplined services are feeling recruitment pressure, they are not alone. Some 78% of companies in Hong Kong are struggling to source talent for the first quarter of next year, according to a report from human resources firm ManpowerGroup Greater China. The good news is this figure is down from a 17-year high of 85% earlier this year. Information technology, sustainability and engineering are the sectors where talent is most scarce. What is the government doing about it? A lot, actually. Labour and Welfare Secretary Chris Sun reports about 70,000 individuals have relocated to our city under various talent schemes, double the original target.
While many workers arrive, one departs, albeit temporarily. Your correspondent is heading to Australia for Christmas and New Year. In wishing you all happy holidays – and taking a break from this column – I will leave you to enjoy the latest episode of Law & More in which my guest is the esteemed Jonathan Midgley. A longtime contemporary and formidable criminal defence lawyer, Jonathan entertains in his inimitable style. Please listen. Will I miss the festive season in Hong Kong? Of course! Residents will ring in 2024 with a bang as the city’s New Year countdown fireworks display makes a full comeback for the first time since 2018. Tourism chiefs are promising a spectacular show.
Talk of pyrotechnics naturally brings me back to Pugh, Pugh and company. Perversely – and perhaps because Trumpton was filmed in stop-motion animation – the brigade answered all manner of distress calls but never put out an actual fire. Still, it remains burned in this writer’s memory.
Until next time, everybody!
Colin Cohen
Senior Partner
Boase Cohen & Collins
