Gov’t considers turning maternity leave subsidy into permanent

Chief Executive (CE) Sam Hou Fai stated that the government is considering making the temporary subsidy plan for employer-paid maternity leave benefits permanent.

Addressing the matter during the Q&A session of the 2026 policy address, the CE noted the intention but said specific details still need to be studied.

The government has included revising the “Labor Relations Law” in next year’s legislative plan, focusing on improving regulations on annual leave and maternity leave.

Following a report last month, legislator Leong Pou U has expressed concerns about improving labor standards, including specific measures to enhance protection against wage arrears and combat illegal work.

The CE responded that the government will advance related work and maintain ongoing communication with various sectors of society, emphasizing the need to balance employee rights with economic development.

Currently, including government special subsidies, maternity leave has been extended from 56 days to 70 days.

Sam indicated that the employer-paid maternity leave subsidy has been in place for several years. Initially set to end this year, it was decided to extend it to the end of next year.

This extension has now been linked to the possibility of turning the program into a permanent one, with the government considering how many days of maternity leave will be extended and whether it will continue to be subsidized.

The government has seen a year-on-year increase in wage arrears payments, especially in large employee cases, with rising payouts from the Labour Claims Security Fund.

Meanwhile, the Public Security Police joined enforcement efforts with the Labour Affairs Bureau, inspecting over 2,960 locations and uncovering 517 illegal workers from January to September, in a bid to reinforce the fight against illegal work and protect local workers. Ricaela Diputado