New People’s Party lawmaker Dominic Lee, together with the Civil Force, on Friday urged the government to target mainly senior officials for future pay cuts.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan announced a pay freeze for executive authorities and all civil servants in his budget in February.

In a survey that took in more than 650 Hong Kong residents over the past two weeks, Lee said civil service pay adjustments in times of fiscal pressures were supported by around 80 percent of respondents.

Around 70 percent believed senior officials should be the primary target for pay cuts, while just three percent support slashing the salaries of frontline staff.

Lee hopes cuts in civil service pay in the future will target only senior officials.

“A lot of people felt that government officials at higher levels are receiving a lot of taxpayers’ dollars, so they have a bigger responsibility to bear a share of the financial burden,” he said.

“Hong Kong is facing a lot of economic problems.

"I think if we also extend the pay cuts to lower and mid-level civil servants, that will really affect the general economic situation of Hong Kong.”

Lee said more than 80 percent support linking civil service pay to the city’s economic performance.