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