Policy Address

Statutory Minimum Wage

137. The Minimum Wage Commission will submit a report by the end of this month on how to enhance the review mechanism of the Statutory Minimum Wage. The Government will consider and follow up on the recommendations made by the Commission, and decide on the way forward of the review mechanism in six months' time.

The "Continuous Contract" Requirement

138. The Labour Advisory Board (LAB) is discussing how to revise the "continuous contract" requirement (commonly referred to as the "418" requirement). Under this requirement, an employee is entitled to comprehensive employment benefits only if he/she is employed by the same employer for four weeks or more and has worked for 18 hours or more each week. The LAB has agreed in principle to revise the requirement by using the aggregate working hours of four weeks as the basis of calculation, and is deliberating on the working hour threshold. The Government will amend the Employment Ordinance as soon as possible after the LAB has reached a consensus.