Welcome Message

It is indeed my great honour and privilege to be re-appointed as the Chairperson of the Minimum Wage Commission (the Commission) under the Minimum Wage Ordinance (Cap.608 of the Laws of Hong Kong)This link will open in a new window (the Ordinance). I am very much delighted to lead the eighth term Commission to see through implementation of the new formula-based annual review mechanism of the Statutory Minimum Wage (SMW).

The Commission is chaired by a non-official, comprising three members each from the labour sector, the business sector, the academia and the Government, each with diverse professional expertise and experience. The Commission is tasked with the main function of, when required by the Chief Executive (CE) to do so, reporting to CE in Council its recommendation on the SMW rate.

SMW impacts on various aspects of Hong Kong, including the society, economy and labour market, etc. In performing its functions, the Commission needs to maintain an appropriate balance between the objectives of forestalling excessively low wages and minimising the loss of low-paid jobs, and give due regard to sustaining Hong Kong’s economic growth and competitiveness. In October 2024, the Commission from the last term recommended to CE in Council the SMW rate of $42.1 per hour upon conducting a review. In this review, the Commission agreed to adopt the formula (Note) approved by CE in Council on 30 April 2024 for deriving the recommended SMW rate. The formula ensures that each adjustment of the SMW rate will be more predictable and transparent, thereby minimising debates on the magnitude of each adjustment and helping foster harmonious labour relations. We learn with great delight that CE in Council accepted the Commission’s recommendation on 18 February 2025 and the Legislative Council also passed the subsidiary legislation on 26 March 2025. The new SMW rate of $42.1 per hour will take effect on 1 May 2025.

The current term of the Commission will witness a new era of the SMW regime under the new annual review mechanism as announced in CE’s 2024 Policy Address. With the sterling support and commitment of all members of the Commission, I am confident that we will continue to discharge our responsibilities as steadfastly as ever before in full accordance with the statutory power and the mandate bestowed on the Commission under the Ordinance.

Taking this opportunity, I must pay tribute to all my fellow Commission members for their wise counsel and the contributions they have made. It also gives me great pleasure to extend a warm welcome to those members who joined the Commission in 2025.

You are most welcome to visit the Commission's webpage to learn more about our work.

Priscilla WONG, SBS, JP
Chairperson
Minimum Wage Commission

Note: The adoption of the formula for deriving the SMW rate was one of the recommendations in the Commission’s study on enhancing the review mechanism of SMW in 2023.