The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has raised the statutory minimum wage (SMW) from HK$42.1 per hour to HK$43.1 with effect from Labour Day, which fell on Friday this year.

According to the city’s Minimum Wage Ordinance, employees are protected by the SMW whether they are monthly-rated, daily-rated, hourly-rated, piece-rated, permanent, casual, full-time or part-time, etc, and regardless of whether they are employed under a continuous contract as defined in the Employment Ordinance.

However, the SMW is not applicable to live-in domestic workers, student interns and work experience students as specified in the Minimum Wage Ordinance, and persons to whom the Employment Ordinance does not apply.

In tandem with the implementation of the new SMW rate, the monthly monetary cap on the requirement for employers to record the total number of hours worked by employees in a wage period under the Employment Ordinance has been raised from HK$17,200 to HK$17,600 per month, with effect from May 1, the government said in a statement on Friday.

RELATED ARTICLES

• Labour Day: Hong Kong raises rate of statutory minimum wage
• HKSAR govt eyes 6.7% minimum wage hike
• HK freezes minimum wage amid high unemployment
• Executive Council agrees to review minimum wage every year

When wages payable to an employee in respect of a wage period are less than HK$17,600 per month, the employer is required to keep a record of the total number of hours worked by the employee in that wage period, it added.

Employees with disabilities are also protected by the SMW, with a special arrangement for such employees to opt for a productivity assessment to determine whether they should be remunerated at no less than the SMW or at a rate commensurate with their productivity.

In April 2024, the Executive Council approved proposals to overhaul the way of calculating the city’s minimum wage, with a review of the minimum wage every year. This formula considers the special administrative region’s economic growth as well as inflation.