More than six out of 10 young Hongkongers are unwilling to work for the city’s civil service, citing Chief Executive Carrie Lam as the main deterrent to taking what was once seen as a plum career, according to a poll by a leading youth group.

The findings of the survey by the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups underscore the brain drain and low morale within the city’s civil service as well as a lack of trust in the government, analysts said.

This is the first public poll since the government demanded its employees declare loyalty to the state and take an oath to confirm they will uphold the city’s Basic Law.

It also came as 1,860 civil servants resigned in the 12 months to the end of March, including 21 higher-ranking administrative officials, which was a 23-year high.

The federation surveyed 527 people aged between 18 and 34 from April 22 to 26. Fourteen were current civil servants.

According to the survey, 62.8% said they did not want to be a civil servant, citing reasons including political pressure, refusal to make the pledge of allegiance and reluctance to join the current government.

Meanwhile, 23% said they still wanted to join the government.

This compared to the 50.2% of respondents who expressed reluctance and 45.3% who said they were willing to join in a similar survey conducted by 2016.

The problem of brain drain in the civil service and the lack of trust in the current government have surfaced, said federation spokesperson Poon Tsz-fung. He also suggested the government should boost morale among civil servants, enhance their professional image and strengthen training.

Meanwhile, Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip said in a blog on Monday that two briefings on the internal recruitment of elite-level, policy-setting civil servants had attracted nearly 700 participants.

Nip said he felt “quite enthusiastic” about the new blood.

In response to Apple Daily’s inquiries, the Civil Service Bureau declined to comment whether the internal recruitment was in any way related to the reported brain drain.

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