Hong Kong civil servants to get hourly leave but businesses unlikely to follow
Por Leopold Chen — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement Hong Kong workers/labour rights Hong Kong Society Hong Kong civil servants to get hourly leave but businesses unlikely to follow
Civil servants expect to receive an annual entitlement of 10 to 12 hours of family care leave, with the arrangement taking effect in early 2027
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Leopold Chen Published: 9:00am, 19 Sep 2026 Updated: 9:16am, 19 Sep 2026
Hong Kong civil servants could receive flexible hourly family care leave next year as part of the government’s wider drive to boost birth rates, the South China Morning Post has learned, though business leaders warn the private sector has little incentive to follow suit, citing manpower and financial constraints, especially for smaller firms.
Under the “promote fertility” section of Wednesday’s policy address, the government said it would introduce family care leave for its employees to enhance family-friendly measures.
A government source said that civil servants could apply for leave by the hour for personal matters, such as accompanying family members to hospital or attending parent-teacher meetings.
The Civil Service Bureau was formulating details and would conduct further consultation with government employees, the insider added.
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