Macau (MNA) – The Secretary for Administration and Justice, Sonia Chan Hoi Fan (pictured), indicated on Monday that the Macau SAR Government is planning to raise the threshold of the general examination for recruiting civil servants.
The statement was issued after the Secretary had attended a meeting with the 1st standing committee of the Legislative Assembly (AL) today.
By raising the threshold, the passing rate would be reduced as to allow fewer candidates to take part in further examinations organised by different departments.
Over 90 per cent of the 17,040 residents passed the first round of examination to secure one of the 183 vacancies opened for the posts of senior technician in the government last year.
With the monthly salary for a senior technician reaching over MOP34,000 (US$4,250), large number of residents were attracted to take the examination as the majority generally regard a post at the government as a stable job with high salary.
Candidates who passed the first general examination would still have to take further examinations organised by the different departments, according to the candidates’ interests.
Chan said that the Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau (SAFP) is currently carrying out studies aiming at increasing the difficulty of the questions presented in the examination.
About the complaints raised by candidates regarding examinations being held by different public departments at the same time, the Secretary argued that the simultaneity was due to the fact that the government had not held any open recruitment examinations over the past six years.
She added that fewer examinations would be held in the near future, given that vacancies have been filled over the period last year.
The Secretary said further that the current system allows SAFP to organise one single knowledge test for less significant posts, such as general technical instructor, instead of having different departments to hold similar examinations on their own.
However, she explained that the unified test would have to be approved amongst departments which are recruiting for the same post, given that different departments have different requirements.
[Edited by Sheyla Zandonai]
