New Bill Reduces Weekly Work Requirement
The Hong Kong Legislative Council has officially passed the Employment (Amendment) Bill 2025, bringing a significant update to employee rights under the Employment Ordinance. The key revision reduces the minimum number of working hours required per week from 18 to 17 to qualify for continuous employment status. This change aims to expand access to statutory benefits and employment protection for more part-time and non-standard workers.
This amendment, which revises the continuous contract requirement, marks a proactive step by the government to better support the evolving labor market. By slightly lowering the threshold, more employees will now qualify for protections and entitlements such as paid annual leave, sickness allowance, and maternity benefits.
Flexible Rule to Ensure Continuity of Employment
In addition to the lowered weekly hour requirement, the new law includes a flexible clause to protect workers whose weekly hours might occasionally fall short of the 17-hour mark. If an employee works less than 17 hours in a given week, the week will still be counted toward continuous employment, as long as the total working hours over that week and the three preceding weeks add up to at least 68 hours.
The Hong Kong government explained that this flexibility is designed to reduce disruptions in employment continuity due to fluctuating work hours. It helps part-time workers avoid losing essential benefits simply because their hours may temporarily dip below the threshold in a given week. This ensures that temporary changes in schedule do not result in the loss of important employment protections.
Implementation Timeline and Legal Status
All other provisions of the Employment Ordinance will remain unchanged, including the existing eligibility criteria for various statutory benefits. The amendment focuses solely on updating the method of calculating continuous employment, without altering the scope of benefits themselves.
The Employment (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 is scheduled to be officially published in the Government Gazette next Friday. The new continuous contract requirement will come into effect on January 18, 2026, giving employers and employees several months to prepare for the change.
By modernizing employment regulations to reflect the needs of today’s workforce, the Hong Kong government aims to strike a balance between flexibility for businesses and protection for workers, especially in part-time or irregular jobs.
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