Key Employment Issues from the 2025 Policy Address

On 17 September 2025 the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR delivered his 2025 Policy Address. Amongst the topics were several notable employment related issues. We summarise them below:

Statutory Minimum Wage (“SMW”)

• Recommendations made to enhance the SMW review mechanism were accepted. The SMW rate will soon be reviewed annually, not biennially. The new formula is yet to be announced but is expected to take effect on 1 May 2026. The current SMW rate is HK$42.1 per hour, since 1 May 2025.

Labour Support and Protection

• Employment of local workers and combatting of abuse of the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme will be prioritised.

• Under the new administrative requirements, starting on 18 September 2025, Food and Beverage industry employers must extend their local recruitment process from four weeks to six. They must also attend a Labour Department organised job fair once a week during this time and implement the manning ratio requirement of 2:1 more stringently.

• To safeguard local workers’ employment, a dedicated hotline for reporting illegal workers will be set up, as well as gathering of intelligence and inter-departmental joint enforcement operations.

• For digital platform workers, the government will improve the work injury compensation mechanism through legislation. It will continue to utilise the Tripartite Committee for the Digital Platform Industry to discuss relevant issues.

• Occupational Safety and Health inspection and enforcement will be further stepped up.

Nurturing Talents

• Talent policies such as the Top Talent Pass Scheme have been considered successful and will continue to be implemented.

• Measures to promote silver employment (i.e. in respect of the middle-aged and elderly population) will continue. A mid-term review will take place in the first quarter of 2026.

• Employers will continue to be encouraged to adopt family-friendly employment practices through the Good Employer Charter. Practices include those conducive to childcare, such as flexible working hours.

Other Relevant Information

• For more on Employment Law considerations when entering the Hong Kong Market, please see Tanner De Witt’s Hong Kong Market Entry Playbook article here.

• For an overview on Foreign Investment and Immigration in Hong Kong, including a section on the Top Talent Pass Scheme, please see Tanner De Witt’s Hong Kong Market Entry Playbook article here.

Russell Bennett and Mark Chiu

For more information on employment matters, please contact:

Russell Bennett

Partner | Email

Mark Chiu

Partner | Email

Disclaimer: This publication is general in nature and is not intended to constitute legal advice. You should seek professional advice before taking any action in relation to the matters dealt with in this publication.