Fact · labour · 2026-10-15
Statutory minimum employment age
法定最低就業年齡
Figure and reference date
16 years; no employment under 13
16歲；13歲以下不得受僱
Notes and definition
Under the Employment Ordinance and the Employment of Children Regulations, children under 13 must not be employed in any work. Children aged 13 to under 15 may be employed in light work in non-industrial undertakings, subject to schooling and hours restrictions; persons aged 15 and above may be employed.
Other figures in this group (labour)
Figures in the same group are not necessarily additive — check the basis note above first. Labour.
| Item / 項目 | Figure / 數字 | As of / 時點 | Source / 來源 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force 勞動人口 | 3.8113 million 381.13 萬 Hong Kong in Figures 2026: 3,811.3 thousand. GovHK rounds this to 3.811 million. | 2025 | Hong Kong in Figures, 2026 Edition |
| Unemployment rate 失業率 | 3.7% 3.7% | 2025 | Hong Kong in Figures, 2026 Edition |
| Labour force participation rate 勞動人口參與率 | 57.0% 57.0% Male 62.3%, female 52.7%. Labour force is land-based non-institutional population aged 15 and over who are employed or unemployed. | 2025 | Hong Kong in Figures, 2026 Edition |
| Unemployed persons 失業人數 | 139,000 139 000 Published as 139 thousand. The unemployment rate and headcount are from the same General Household Survey. | 2025 | Hong Kong in Figures, 2026 Edition |
| Underemployment rate 就業不足率 | 1.5% (56,000 persons) 1.5%（56 000 人） Underemployment is a separate series from unemployment; do not add them as a jobless total. | 2025 | Hong Kong in Figures, 2026 Edition |
| Civil servants 公務員人數 | 170,600 170 600 Persons employed on civil service terms. Excludes ICAC officers, judicial officers, locally engaged ETTO staff, and Non-Civil Service Contract staff. | 2025-12 | Hong Kong in Figures, 2026 Edition |
| Statutory minimum wage rate 法定最低工資水平 | HK$43.1 per hour 每小時 43.1 元 Labour Department: the rate rises to HK$43.1 per hour from 1 May 2026. Statutory Minimum Wage has applied since 1 May 2011 and is now reviewed annually. | 2026-05-01 | Statutory Minimum Wage |
| Monthly wage ceiling for mandatory hours records 僱主須記錄總工作時數的月薪上限 | HK$17,600 per month 每月 17 600 元 Raised together with the minimum wage rate effective 1 May 2026. | 2026-05-01 | Statutory Minimum Wage |
| Statutory paid sick leave (Employment Ordinance) 法定有薪病假（《僱傭條例》） | At least 4 consecutive days; up to 120 days accumulated; sickness allowance is 4/5 of average daily wages 連續4日或以上、最多累積120日、疾病津貼為每日平均工資5分之4 Under the Employment Ordinance (Cap 57): sick leave of at least 4 consecutive days (except prenatal visits) with a proper medical certificate entitles an employee to sickness allowance. Paid sick days accrue at 2 per month for the first 12 months and 4 thereafter, capped at 120. The allowance is 4/5 of the average daily wage over the preceding 12 months. | 2026-10-10 | Employment Ordinance (Cap 57) — Sick Leave |
| Statutory maternity and paternity leave (Employment Ordinance) 法定產假與侍產假（《僱傭條例》） | 10 weeks of maternity leave, 5 days of paternity leave; maternity leave pay is 4/5 of average daily wages 產假10星期、侍產假5日；產假薪酬為每日平均工資的5分之4 Under the Employment Ordinance (Cap 57) and its amendments: a female employee employed for at least 40 weeks is entitled to 10 consecutive weeks of paid maternity leave; a male employee with 40 weeks of service is entitled to 5 days of paid paternity leave. Maternity leave pay is 4/5 of the average daily wages in the reference period (employers may claim reimbursement, capped per current law). This statutory right is subject to the Labour Department’s current guidance on calculation and reimbursement. | 2026-10-13 | Labour Dept: Employment Ordinance Concise Guide |
| Median monthly household income 住戶每月入息中位數 | HK$30,000 (Q2) 30,000 港元（第2季） General Household Survey: median monthly household income in Q2 2026, excluding foreign domestic helpers. | 2026-06 | C&SD: Quarterly Report on General Household Survey |
| Median monthly employment earnings 就業人士每月收入中位數 | HK$21,000 (Q2) 21,000 港元（第2季） General Household Survey: median monthly employment earnings of employed persons in Q2 2026. | 2026-06 | C&SD: Quarterly Report on General Household Survey |
15 more figures in this group are listed in Labour.
Verified questions that cite this figure
At what age can you work in Hong Kong?
The statutory minimum employment age in Hong Kong is 16. Children under 13 must not be employed in any work; children aged 13 to under 15 may do light work in non-industrial undertakings, subject to schooling and hours restrictions; persons aged 15 and above may be employed.
（已核對問題頁目前只有中文版；上面嘅英文標題同答案本身係資料檔嘅官方英文欄位。）
How to cite this figure
Hong Kong Story, “Statutory minimum employment age”, https://hongkongstory.org/en/facts/child-employment-min-age, data as at 2026-10-15 (retrieved ＿).
中文：香港紀事館，〈法定最低就業年齡〉，https://hongkongstory.org/facts/child-employment-min-age，資料時點 2026-10-15（查閱日期 ＿）。
Machine-readable: /api/v1/facts.json (id = child-employment-min-age) · OpenAPI 3.1 ·/llms.txt
Registered source
Labour Department: Employment of Children and Young Persons
Labour Department, HKSAR Government
The official document carries no registered publication date, so only the retrieval date 2026-10-15 is given — no publication year is invented.
This site is a secondary compilation: the official text prevails. If the figure above differs from the official document, the official document is correct.