Lancy Chui: Most people prefer stable governemnt jobs in economic downturn.

Job security makes civil service jobs as the top choice of job seekers, especially in times of financial crisis, according to a cyber survey conducted by Recruit weekly newspaper recently.

In a survey covering 1,262 respondents, an overwhelming 94 percent signified their preference in taking up jobs in the government.

Among them, 47 percent said they wanted to apply for civil service jobs because the government provides job security and it is unlikely to lay off any staff.

Fringe benefits made 34 percent of respondents express their interest in working for the government. A small percentage, a mere 4.5 percent, said civil service jobs are the safest amid the financial tsunami. Only 8 percent of respondents expressed their interest in taking up government jobs because they want to serve the community.

As to job nature, 51 percent said they would like to apply for the civilian grades, as opposed to 13.4 percent who wanted to join the disciplined services and 11 percent who said they would apply for the professional grades.

In case they are successful in joining the civil service, 53 percent of respondents said they will treat their jobs as their 'iron rice bowls' and will stay with their jobs until retirement.

But a small proportion, or 9.2 percent, said they would treat civil service jobs as a stepping stone and they would look for better jobs when economy and the job market improve.

Only 6.4 percent (or 72 people) showed lack of interest in taking up civil service jobs. Of the total, 18 respondents expressed worries over stringent entry requirements, while 17 respondents described government jobs as dull and boring. Sixteen respondents said there were no suitable jobs for them in the civil service, while 13 expressed their fear of keen competition.

Lancy Chui, general manager for Hong Kong and Macau at human resources consulting firm Manpower, said most job seekers want to find stable jobs amid global recession, and civil service posts are ideal in times of great difficulties.

She said prevailing economic conditions have a strong bearing on job preferences of many people.

During good times when job opportunities abound, most job seekers prefer to work in the private sector. But during bad times when unemployment is high, more people are less picky and they chase after jobs in the government.

"Whether they are permanent civil service posts or short-term contract posts, civil service jobs have long been very popular and are actually the first-choice of fresh university graduates," she said.

"During good times, many job seekers prefer to work for private companies because they are seen as providing more opportunities for career advancement and pay salaries higher than those in the government," she said.

"But when times are bad, we see an entirely different phenomenon in the sense that job seekers attach greater importance job security which they see in civil service jobs," she said.

She noted that there are fewer job opportunities in the private sector these days as many companies take a wait-and-see attitude about recruitment.

She said job seekers can improve their chance of getting a civil service job by doing several important things. It is imperative for them to ascertain the objectives, roles and functions of a government department which they wish to join. Joining the government means they should have the heart to serve the community and be prepared during job interviews to answer questions, such as "what can you do to contribute to the department and society?"

She said that many workers often hop from one job to another during the good times to find higher-paying posts.

She noted, however, that the survey showed that as many 80 percent of respondents expressed their desire to change jobs even in the face of economic uncertainties.

She said many companies have adopted a string of measures to mitigate the impact of the global crisis, including restructuring of their operations, re-engineering of jobs and departmental organization. These measures are aimed at enhancing competitiveness and sustaining future growth.

The implementation of those measures could potentially affect serving employees and prompt them to leave in favor of other companies.

While they may not be affected by corporate restructurings, some people may still look for new job opportunities elsewhere if they feel that their career development prospects in a particular company are limited.

Chui warned those who wish change jobs amid the current economic environment that they should be prepared to spend a much longer time to find their favourite jobs.

"Job creation in the labour market is much slower than the two previous quarters before the flareup of the global financial crisis last year," she said.

She cited results of a Manpower employment prospects survey which showed that the employment prospect index in the third quarter last year was 26 percent, down by 4 percent compared with in the preceding quarterly period last year.

The employment prospect index further showed a reading of negative 3 percent in the second quarter this year.

"This clearly shows that most employers' desire to recruit new staff has drastically slowed," she said. "In view of diminishing number of job opportunities in the job market, it is inevitable for job seekers to spend more time than before in finding their preferred jobs."

She advised job seekers not to fear taking on jobs which are not among their top choices or even to accept lower salaries as this would help keep their jobs and even move on to jobs of their choices eventually.

"If they are too selective, they might end up finding themselves stranded in an extended job search process or losing to uch with the job market for a prolonged period," she said.

(HK Edition 05/08/2009 page2)