Maternity leave in Hong Kong: government considering subsidies to help businesses offset cost of giving new mothers 14 weeks off
Leader of pro-business Liberal Party Felix Chung urges government to consider effects of US-China trade war on Hong Kong business environment before pushing ahead
Hong Kong bosses could be offered a subsidy to partly offset the costs of a government push to extend statutory maternity leave to 14 weeks, the labour minister has revealed.
A government study, expected to be completed by the end of the year, is looking to increase the current entitlement of 10 weeks’ leave on 80 per cent pay, to bring Hong Kong in line with the standards of the International Labour Organisation.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong said on Monday the government was also studying whether it could pay part of the cost for the extra days.
“For most places in the world, parental leave is financed by social insurance, normally paid by both employers and employees,” Law said, after attending a plenary session of the Asian Family Summit, held at the University of Hong Kong. “We are looking at that option.”
Law said the government appreciated that one of the biggest challenges was the extra wages employers would have to pay.
Leader of the pro-business Liberal Party, Felix Chung Kwok-pan, also a legislator, expressed reservations.
Employers won’t thank the government for the subsidy. We did not ask for it
