Secretary for the Civil Service, Ingrid Yeung, said she hopes the launch of year-round recruitment for three types of civil service jobs will help fill some 2,700 government vacancies.

From Friday, residents will be able to apply at any time for the posts of Assistant Clerical Officer, Clerical Assistant and Personal Secretary II, either online or by visiting a new recruitment centre at Revenue Tower in Wan Chai.

The starting salaries for these positions range from around HK$15,000 to HK$18,000 a month.

Speaking to reporters at the centre's opening, Yeung said as opposed to the conventional practice of accepting applications once every one or two years, the new arrangement will be more efficient and convenient for job-seekers.

"With all-year-round recruitment, we will enable the suitable candidates to apply any time according to their personal plan, any time that is convenient to them,” she said.

The civil service chief also said she’s happy with the progress of a recruitment exercise for six types of civil service jobs that require degrees.

As of Thursday, she said some 15,700 people had signed up for the Joint Recruitment Examination, or JRE, that's pencilled in for December.

Earlier, the government said it would allow students in their penultimate year at university to apply for jobs within the administration, instead having to do that in their final year.