Minimum wage in Hong Kong 2026: HKD 43.1 an hour

Who the Minimum Wage Ordinance covers

The ordinance protects employees covered by the Employment Ordinance, whether or not they are on a continuous contract, so casual and part-time staff count. It leaves out three groups: live-in domestic workers, student interns and work experience students. Foreign domestic helpers fall outside it and are paid under a separate Minimum Allowable Wage set by the government, which our data does not include. There are no age, sector or district rates; the same HKD 43.1 applies in Central and in the New Territories.

Hong Kong minimum wage history

No standard hours, so no fixed monthly minimum

Hong Kong has no statutory standard working week, so there is no legal monthly minimum. Pay for a wage period must average at least HKD 43.1 for every hour worked. As an illustration, a 48-hour week (six 8-hour days, with the one rest day in seven the law requires) comes to 43.1 x 48 x 52 / 12 = HKD 8,964.80 a month, about $1,142. A single 8-hour day is HKD 344.80.

Because the test is per hour worked, employers must keep hours records for staff earning below HKD 17,600 a month, a cap raised together with the 2026 rate. A monthly salaried worker on long hours can fall below the minimum without anyone changing their pay.

From HKD 40 to HKD 43.1: the move to annual reviews

The rate stood at HKD 40 until April 2025, rose to HKD 42.1 on May 1, 2025, and the government then moved to an annual review that sets the rate by formula. The first rate under that mechanism, HKD 43.1, took effect on May 1, 2026, a 2.38% rise. If the annual cycle holds, the next change would come around May 1, 2027.

MPF and insurance on a minimum-wage worker

Both sides pay 5% of relevant income into the Mandatory Provident Fund, with each side capped at HKD 1,500 a month (on pay of HKD 30,000). For employees earning under HKD 7,100 a month, the employer still pays its 5% and the employee pays nothing. On the HKD 8,964.80 example, the employer pays 5% = HKD 448.24 a month (about $57.11) and deducts the same from the employee. Employees' compensation insurance is mandatory and priced by insurers, and there is no statutory 13th month; year-end double pay exists only if the contract promises it. Pay levels above the minimum are on the Hong Kong average salary page.

Hiring in Hong Kong without a local company

An employer of record can employ staff in Hong Kong, enroll them in an MPF scheme and carry the insurance. EOR fees on published price lists span $99 to $699 a month per employee (October 2026). Deel lists $599. With only 5% employer contributions, the EOR fee is usually the largest add-on in Hong Kong. See our Hong Kong employer of record guide, the EOR rankings and the international cost calculator, or compare mainland China, Taiwan and the employer cost index.