Tips for Employment in HK

There are many factors that employers in Hong Kong (HK) have to take into consideration when it comes to employment. Employers in HK have to follow a strict set of laws and legislations that set by the local Government.  HK official regulators such as Inland Revenue Department and Labour Department were set up with the intention to protect both the workers and employers here in HK.

Employers have to draft up an employment contract to allow the employee to review and make amendments if needed. The employment contract should include the employee’s name; position applied; contract of employment; work location; commencement date; working hours; probation period; paid holiday’s arrangement; salary; benefits (Bonus, double pay, healthcare); Mandatory Provident Fund Scheme (MPF); and termination.

The employer has the responsibility to notify the Inland Revenue that the employee is now working for them and have to submit a commencement form on behalf of their employee once is filled. Moreover, it is mandatory for employers to contribute 5% of employee’s relevant income towards their MPF scheme if the employee’s monthly salary is below $30,000 HKD, however, if the employee’s salary is more than $30,000 HKD then it will be a maximum of $1,500 HKD.

There are other set of laws and legislations that were set by the HK Immigration Department for employers who want to hire foreign staff to work in HK. Employers have to make sure that the staff they are hiring will meet certain criteria under the Supplementary Labour Scheme (SLS). For more information please refer the below links.

Here is some useful tax information for employers in HK:

• http://www.ird.gov.hk/eng/tax/ere.htm

• http://www.ird.gov.hk/eng/tax/ere_obl.htm#a02

Paid public holidays:

• http://www.gov.hk/en/about/abouthk/holiday/

Mandatory Provident Fund Scheme (MPF) and Facts:

• http://www.mpfa.org.hk/eng/main/employer/making_contributions.jsp

• http://www.gov.hk/en/about/abouthk/factsheets/docs/mpf.pdf

Visa application and other relevant information:

• http://www.immd.gov.hk/en/services/hk-visas/employ-imported-workers/guidebook.html

• http://www.immd.gov.hk/en/services/fee-tables/index.html

• http://www.immd.gov.hk/en/services/fee-tables/visas-extension-others.html

• http://www.immd.gov.hk/pdforms/ID1001A.pdf

• http://www.immd.gov.hk/pdforms/ID1001B.pdf

Hiring Knowhow in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is very lucky to be one of the most developed financial cities in the world making its’ system and service to be complete and diverse. Its’ geographical location and the number of population on a relatively small island pushed HK to develop and equip an all-around service with numerous options to choose from. This specialty of HK will benefit both the public and corporates, to speed up the daily operation and making it more efficient.  It is especially noticeable for employers who are insearch of the right candidate to join their organisation as there are many recruitment options to choose from.  Employers can use the free recruitment service provided by the Labour Department of HK, Employment Agencies (for employment agencies recruiting staff for their clients), paid media such as job boards, social media, printed newspaper and many more.

When writing the job description employers have to be careful on the wording they use and requirement that they are after to ensure that they have not violate the discrimination act. For more information please visit the below links.

• http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/employment/jobsearch/

• http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/employment/recruitment/recruitmenttips.htm

• https://www1.jobs.gov.hk/1/0/WebForm/employer/vacancy/vof_main.aspx?ismember=false