Recruitment in Hong Kong

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Recruiting Customs and Practices

  1. Recruiting

The Labour Department offers a range of free recruitment and employment services. Employers who wish to recruit staff should complete and return a vacancy order form by fax or mail. When job seekers are interested in your job, the Job Centre will call you to introduce the job seekers and arrange for interviews. After concluding each interview, you must indicate the result on the introduction letter and return it to the Job Centre. The Centre will continue to refer interested job seekers to you until your vacancy has been filled.

  1. Working hours

Employees employed under a continuous contract are entitled to not less than one rest day in each period of seven days.

  1. Wage

There is no legal minimum wage in Hong Kong

Legal Responsibilities

  1. Employees’ compensation

An employer is legally liable to pay compensation in respect of injuries sustained by his employees as a result of an accident arising out of and in the course of employment; or in respect of occupational diseases suffered by the employees.

Employees who are injured while working outside Hong Kong are also covered if they are employed in Hong Kong by local employers.

  1. Mandatory Provident Fund

As an employer, you are required to arrange for all employees aged between 18 and 65, who have been employed for 60 days or more, to join a registered Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) scheme. You must calculate each individual employee’s income and amount of contribution for each contribution period, deduct the relevant mandatory contribution from the employee’s income, and pay the employer’s contribution from your own funds. The scheme also covers self-employed persons.

Your MPF contributions are profits tax deductible, provided that the deduction does not exceed 15% of an employee’s total emolument.

You must provide each employee with a monthly pay-record showing the employee’s relevant income and the amount of contribution. However, if you are the employer of a casual employee participating in an industry scheme, you do not need to comply with this requirement.

Industry schemes are established for industries with high labour mobility, including the catering and construction industries. Employers in these industries are required to arrange for such employees to participate in MPF schemes regardless of the duration of employment.

  1. Fringe benefits

The Employment Ordinance governs all conditions of employment in Hong Kong.

  1. Labour dispute settlements

In the event of labour disputes, the Labour Department offers a conciliation service for the parties concerned to reach an amicable settlement.

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