The final phase of Hong Kong Government's five-day week
initiative will begin on July 1, involving 10,500 civil servants,
the Civil Service Bureau said Monday.
By then, about 94,300 staff will be on a five-day week work
mode, including a 'five-day-work, two-day-off' duty pattern.
However, 51,200 civil servants may still have to continue with
their current work patterns. They are mainly engaged in the
provision of services, including social welfare, immigration
counter, cultural, postal, and environmental hygiene services,
along with law enforcement, passenger and cargo clearance, and
penal operations.
Departments can continue to explore the feasibility of allowing
more front-line staff to work at a five-day-work, two-day-off
schedule, provided that service is unaffected, the bureau said.
(Xinhua News Agency May 22, 2007)