Minimum wage raise under consideration in Hong Kong

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong has said the minimum wage, frozen at HK$37.50 (US$4.8) since 2019, may be raised this year.
By: | February 15, 2022
Topics: Compensation and Benefits | Health and Wellness | Hong Kong | News

Law said this at a Legislative Council meeting, adding that he hoped employers and employees can come to a consensus.

“I hope unions will not rather have the minimum wage frozen if its increase is smaller than expected. The freezing of the wage last year is a bit unfortunate,” he said.

Law also said that the Hong Kong administration will inform lawmakers at a later stage regarding the long-term path to be taken regarding the minimum wage, first implemented a decade ago.

In addition, he also urged unions to negotiate with employers on working-hours guidelines.

Chau Siu-chung from the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions said just a small increase of the minimum wage will not help salary levels keep pace with the city’s economic growth and called for annual reviews.

READ: Hong Kong to dole out cash subsidy for the unemployed

Meanwhile, Ngan Man-yu from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong said the government should provide subsidies to the unemployed on a regular basis. Chief Executive Carrie Lam has recently announced a one-off HK$10,000 (US$1,282) subsidy for the unemployed, according to The Standard.