- Executive Council endorsed recommendation by Minimum Wage Commission in a December meeting, source says
- Further details to be announced at a Labour Department briefing
Hong Kong introduced the statutory minimum wage in 2011 to provide protection for low-paid workers. Photo: Winson WongHong Kong’s minimum wage will rise by HK$2.50 to HK$40 (US$5.10) per hour after a four-year freeze, following an earlier endorsement by the city’s key decision-making body, sources have revealed.
The new rate would take effect in May, the sources added, with further details to be announced at a Labour Department briefing on Tuesday afternoon.
The city’s Minimum Wage Commission started a review last April and reached a consensus in October.
Should the Hong Kong government raise the minimum wage for domestic workers?
The commission then submitted its recommendations to the Executive Council, which deliberated and endorsed its suggestions in a December meeting, a source disclosed.
Hong Kong introduced the statutory minimum wage in 2011 to provide protection for low-paid employees, at first setting the amount at HK$28 per hour. The rate was gradually increased every two years and reached HK$37.50 in 2019.
But the amount was frozen at HK$37.50 in 2021, the first time the figure had remained unchanged, with authorities highlighting a struggling economy battered by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Official statistics show that there were 14,300 people receiving the current minimum wage.