Assistant Information Officer (General Duties) is one of the six JRE grades confirmed for recruitment beginning in September 2026. The role is broader than writing press releases: it turns policy into information the public and media can use, while coordinating publication, publicity and incident response under time pressure.
Official duties
- Mass-communication research and monitoring.
- Coordination of press releases and media coverage.
- Government publicity, promotion and public education.
- Information handling during emergencies; shift work may be required.
The General Duties stream is distinct from specialist design, photography and video streams. Policy comprehension, news judgement and bilingual communication should therefore drive preparation.
Entry requirements
The Information Services Department lists a degree, a Pass in the CRE Aptitude Test, Level 2 or equivalent in both CRE language papers, effective Chinese and English communication, and a BLNST pass. The September advertisement remains authoritative for any cycle-specific process or deadline.
Career progression
The general grade progresses from Assistant Information Officer through Information Officer, Senior Information Officer, Principal Information Officer and Chief Information Officer. Use the current civil-service pay scale rather than old advertisements for dollar values.
How to prepare
- Translate policy into a clear 80–120 word public summary.
- Rank messages into immediate facts, context and follow-up detail.
- Practise crisis communication across accuracy, speed, transparency and empathy.
- Write a headline, lead and three Q&As in both Chinese and English.
Use the free policy-analysis lab, then convert the reasoning into role evidence with our interview guide.
Official sources
Now put it into practice
The JREHK app carries writing drills for both the Chinese and English papers, worked model answers, and a policy-issue library with the analytical frameworks to go with it — so the method you just read becomes something you actually use.
