Countries/Hong Kong/Hiring guide
Greater China · Hiring guide · 2026
This page is the labour-law and payroll stack for multinational employers hiring in Hong Kong. It is not a salary survey.
In-country employment is how you run this stack without a Hong Kong company.
To hire without incorporating first, use in-country employment in Hong Kong.
Contracts
An employee who works 18 hours or more a week for four or more weeks is generally on a 'continuous contract' and picks up the Ordinance's core entitlements: rest days, statutory holidays, paid annual leave, sick leave, and maternity / paternity leave as they qualify.
During the first month of a probationary period, notice can be as short as the contract allows (including none, if so written). After that, statutory minimum notice applies unless a longer contractual notice is set. Put the notice period in the offer.
A written contract is not mandatory for every hire, but it is the only way to control bonus, garden leave, and post-termination restrictions. Verbal custom is a poor substitute in a regional HQ seat.
Hours
The Employment Ordinance does not set a universal overtime premium for all staff. Overtime is contractual unless a separate regime applies. Write the rule into the contract.
A continuous-contract employee is entitled to rest days and to statutory holidays. Annual leave starts at seven days after 12 months and rises with service, up to 14 days.
If wages payable in a wage period are below the monthly monetary cap (HK$17,600 from 1 May 2026), you must keep hours-worked records for statutory minimum-wage purposes.
Wage floor
The statutory minimum wage is hourly. MPF is a percentage of relevant income with a cap. Neither number is a market salary.
| Rule | Figure |
|---|---|
| Statutory minimum wage | HK$43.1 / hour from 1 May 2026 |
| Hours-record cap | HK$17,600 wages payable per month from 1 May 2026 |
| MPF | 5% + 5% of relevant income; max HK$1,500 each; relevant-income cap HK$30,000 |
| 13th month | Not statutory |
The Minimum Wage Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 3) Notice 2026 raised the hourly rate from HK$42.1 to HK$43.1 on 1 May 2026. A proposed rise in the MPF relevant-income cap has been discussed; it is not in force on this page until MPFA implements it.
Exit
Terminate by the notice in the contract, subject to the Ordinance's minima, or pay in lieu. Summary dismissal is reserved for serious misconduct.
Employees who qualify may be entitled to severance (redundancy) or long-service payment. Offsetting against MPF accrued benefits is a changing area — calculate both before you issue the letter.
Wages on termination have a short statutory deadline. Withholding the last month to force a handover is how disputes start.
Questions
Other markets
Reviewed 11 September 2026
This is a hiring briefing for multinational employers, not legal advice. Statutory rates move by city, province, and sector. Confirm the place of work before you issue an offer.
Sources
Tell us the city, the role, and whether this is a local contract or a search.
