Hong Kong has the lowest bureaucracy and its Civil service efficiency ranks third among 12 Asian jurisdictions, according to the latest expatriate survey.

Conducted by the Political & Economic Risk Consultancy, the study rates Asian civil servants on a scale of zero to 10, with zero being the best grade possible and 10 the worst.

Hong Kong scored 1.9 in terms of bureaucracy, better than last year's 3.11 rating. Singapore came second and South Korea third, with ratings of 2.5 and 5.17.

However, the perception of civil service efficiency has deteriorated slightly since 2002, from 3.26 to 3.39 last year and 3.5 this year. Singapore ranked first with 1.63, followed by Japan with 2.05.

Efficiency efforts continue

In a letter to civil servants today, Secretary for the Civil Service Joseph Wong said while Hong Kong has achieved a high rating in the survey, there is no room for complacency and staff should continue work together to improve efficiency.

Television and radio announcements promoting civil service customer relations will be aired to encourage civil servants to raise suggestions on boosting efficiency and service quality.