The Government has welcomed the Legislative Council’s passage today of the Employment (Amendment) Bill 2025, which revises the continuous contract requirement under the Employment Ordinance, making it easier for employees to enjoy comprehensive employment rights.

Under the revised requirement, the weekly working hours threshold will be lowered from 18 hours to 17 hours. Moreover, a week involving less than 17 working hours will still be regarded as a continuous employment period if the sum of the working hours of that week and those of the three weeks immediately preceding it reaches 68.

The Government outlined that the amendment introduces flexibility in the calculation of working hours, reducing the likelihood of the continuity of workers’ employment being disrupted due to working hours occasionally fall below the threshold.

Other provisions of the ordinance will continue to operate as they have been, and existing eligibility criteria for employees to enjoy various statutory benefits will remain unchanged.

The Employment (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 will be published in the Government Gazette next Friday. The revised continuous contract requirement will be effective from January 18, 2026.