Hong Kong to raise Statutory Minimum Wage to HK$43.1 per hour

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• The HKSAR Government will gazette the proposed amendment on 20 February and table it before the Legislative Council on 25 February.
• Subject to approval, the revised SMW rate will take effect on 1 May 2026.
  
• The monthly monetary cap for exempting employers from recording employees’ working hours will also be adjusted.

Hong Kong’s Chief Executive (CE) in Council has adopted the Minimum Wage Commission’s (MWC) recommendation to raise the Statutory Minimum Wage (SMW) rate from currently HK$42.1 to HK$43.1 per hour – an increase of HK$1.0, or 2.38%.

The HKSAR Government will publish the Minimum Wage Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 3) Notice 2026 in the Gazette next Friday (20 February 2026), and table it before the Legislative Council (LegCo) on 25 February. If approved, the revised SMW rate will come into force on 1 May 2026.

“The recommendation of the MWC is in line with the policy objectives of the SMW to maintain an appropriate balance between forestalling excessively low wages and minimising the loss of low-paid jobs, while giving due regard to sustaining Hong Kong's economic growth and competitiveness,” said Chris Sun, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare.

In tandem, the Minimum Wage Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 3) Notice 2026 will adjust the monthly monetary cap related to the requirement for employers to record the total number of hours worked by employees in a wage period. Under the new threshold, employers will be exempt from keeping such records if an employee earns no less than HK$17,600 per month, up from the current HK$17,200.

The revised cap will take effect on the same day as the new SMW rate (1 May 2026).

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