Thinking about starting or expanding your family? Understanding your maternity leave rights in Hong Kong is essential for expecting mothers, and knowing the paternity leave policies is just as important for fathers.
Understanding the details of parental leave policies is important to employees thinking of adding a new member to their family mix.
Parental leave policies and frameworks help foster diversity, equity, and inclusion within companies to contribute to gender equality and promote shared caregiving responsibilities. Maternity and paternity leave can also help make the workplace more inclusive as companies ensure that all employees feel supported.
This article provides you with the latest information (as of 2 April 2025) regarding your rights and entitlements to maternity, paternity, and parental leave (if any), offering practical guidance on how you can leverage these benefits while still securing your career progression.
article overview
maternity and paternity leave policies in hong kong
Since 2020, the statutory maternity leave for eligible employees has increased from 10 weeks to 14 weeks. To be eligible for statutory maternity leave, an employee must be employed under a continuous contract with the same employer for at least 40 weeks immediately before the start of the scheduled maternity leave.
Employees who are employed between 4 weeks and 40 weeks are eligible for unpaid maternity leave. However, some companies are known to offer paid maternity leave depending on their internal policies.
During the 14 weeks, eligible employees are entitled to maternity leave pay that is calculated at a daily rate equivalent to 80% of their average daily wages earned in the 12-month period before the first day of the maternity leave. The maternity leave pay between week 11 and week 14 is subject to a cap of HK$80,000 per employee.
Hong Kong law also provides additional support for any health complications related to pregnancy or childbirth. An employee may be eligible for additional leave for up to 4 weeks if they experience illness or disability related to pregnancy or childbirth. This is provided in addition to sick leave that the employee is already entitled to.
Since 2019, male employees are eligible for 5 days of paid paternity leave for each child, an increase from 3 days. The eligibility and calculation for the 5 days are similar to maternity leave. To be eligible for paternity leave, the male employee must be employed under a continuous contract with the same employer for at least 40 weeks immediately before the intended first day of leave. Eligible male employees are entitled to paternity leave pay that is calculated at a daily rate equivalent to 80% of their average daily wages earned in the 12-month period before the first day of the maternity leave.
There is no statutory parental leave where parents can share their maternity or paternity leave in Hong Kong, no matter who has the bigger responsibility of child-caring at home.
However, some companies in Hong Kong offer extended periods of unpaid leave in addition to the paid paternity or maternity leave as part of their internal policies. You should always check with your manager and Human Resources team on the types of provisions allowed.
While the government sets the minimum amount of leave, some companies might offer more maternity and paternity leave. Always check your company’s policies to get the full picture.
taking maternity leave and paternity leave can help promote gender equality
Most countries have already mandated maternity leave, and are also slowly expanding paternity leave policies or introducing shared parental leave to promote childbirth and counter low birth rates amid an ageing population.
However, many people still choose not to have babies because of the financial costs of raising a child, pressures of being a good parent, or because they simply do not think that the world is safe for a child.
One other key reason is the challenges in managing work and family commitments.
There is an assumption that taking maternity and paternity leave in full will harm your career, as you might miss out on promotions or opportunities to work on exciting projects that could boost your career. Some parents may also want to avoid discrimination as their colleagues work overtime because of the additional workload.
However, all these beliefs are outdated and societal norms have changed.
Bringing a new child to the world, while not always a choice that everyone can understand, is always a choice that everyone respects. More people are starting to understand the challenges of childbirth as well. From waking up multiple times in the night to numerous visits to the pediatricians, working parents have busier schedules than before. Even the most organised person can be flustered as newborns can be extremely unpredictable.
If you are thinking about creating life and expanding your family, know that maternity leave and paternity leave are policies that are created to not just promote childbirth, but also protect you as you adjust to a new routine in life.
For employees who are expecting or planning to welcome a new family member, proactive planning is key to effectively using your leave entitlements. Here are some steps you can take to leverage your maternity and paternity leave, as well as promote better gender equality at your workplace.
1. understand your legal rights
As an expecting parent, it’s important to understand the following:
Specific eligibility requirements for maternity and paternity leave, including the length of continuous service
Timeframe within which you need to inform your employer about your pregnancy and intention to take leave
Any provisions for taking leave before the expected birth date if allowed
Once you know your rights, you are prepared to speak with your boss and HR!
During your discussion, you should also find out the specific procedures for applying for leave and ensure you have all the necessary documents prepared.
2. discuss and align with your boss on your work performance and measurement
Many expecting mothers fear that they may lose their jobs or opportunities at work to progress when they are going to be away for a long period of time.
However, expecting mothers do not need to worry about job security at all. Under the Employment Ordinance, employers are prohibited from terminating the employment of a female employee who has been confirmed pregnant and has provided notice of her pregnancy. This protection lasts from the date the pregnancy is confirmed until the end of her maternity leave. Exceptions include extreme cases like misconduct, breach of contract or business closure.
Now that you are safe, you should focus on how your work performance will be measured for the year when you are away for three months.
Expecting working mothers are advised to request a performance review approximately 3 to 6 months before your due date. This will create a documented assessment of your performance before you go on leave.
When assessing your performance, talk to your boss to revise and realign your KPIs. It helps to ensure that your contributions are recognised and documented so that you do not miss out on promotions or salary increases just because you are on leave. You can also revise your goals to account for your leave to be more realistic, with specific targets set for what you need to complete before your leave and what you need to start working on when you return to work.
Being proactive in discussing your career future with the team demonstrates your commitment to your job, which helps give assurance to your boss.
3. do a proper handover
Before you start your maternity leave, work with your manager to create a plan for how your work will be distributed to the team. Identify tasks that can be delegated and agree on who has the capabilities and time to take on the additional tasks.
If you feel that your team is already overloaded with work or if your job is too complex to be delegated to colleagues who are not skilled to perform the tasks, you should let your manager know in advance to hire a contractor to fill the role. This is typically the case for employees who are in highly-technical roles and not able to distribute the workload even if they want to.
With a proper handover and the right resources in place, it shows that you have intentions to ensure that productivity is not impacted when you are away.
As much as you are planning for a new family member, your employers and colleagues are also trying to plan their time. By allowing them time to plan together with you, discrimination against working parents will improve over time and it will encourage more parents to take their parental leave in full.
4. maintain your relationships with your colleagues while you’re on parental leave
Even though you are busy with your newborn, you should still do your best to maintain regular contact with your colleagues. Maintaining relationships with colleagues while on parental leave can be challenging, but doable with some thoughtful effort.
Arrange for a meet up at your convenience for a coffee or meal to learn about the new developments at work. You should also stay active in group chats for non-work communications as much as you can to maintain your presence and relationships with your colleagues.
If you’re comfortable, you can share updates about your new life as a parent such as pictures of your newborn or a funny mishap that happened at home. Sharing your experiences can help your colleagues understand your new situation better and express empathy in an appropriate way.
When you keep in contact with your colleagues, it will make returning back to work after parental leave much easier too.
best practices and companies supporting maternity and paternity leave policies in hong kong
There are some companies in Hong Kong that support working parents beyond statutory minimum requirements, like providing the same number of leave for both parents or single parents.
In Hong Kong, Wyeth Nutrition offers additional maternity and paternity leave of up to 100 days, essentially allowing mothers to take up to six months of maternity leave. Swire Properties offers 14 weeks of paid parental leave for primary caregivers and four weeks for secondary caregivers, and is applicable to biological, adoptive, and surrogate parents.
Companies that offer extended or more comprehensive maternity and paternity leave also hints at being a more inclusive organisation that ensures the wellbeing of their employees.
let randstad help you look for a job with greater flexibility
With your new responsibilities as a parent, we understand that your priorities may change. You may prefer to have more work flexibility so that you can balance the responsibilities of being an employee and a parent.
If you are looking for a new role as a parent, we understand your needs. Our specialised consultants take the time to understand how your career priorities have changed and what type of working environment you can thrive in as a parent.
If you’re looking for a job with greater flexibility and supports your family planning, you can apply for a new job or create a Randstad job seeker account to connect with our consultants.
frequently asked questions about maternity and paternity leave
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How long is maternity leave in hong kong?
The statutory maternity leave in Hong Kong is 14 weeks. To qualify for paid maternity leave, an employee must have been employed under a continuous contract for at least 40 weeks before the expected date of childbirth, working a minimum of 18 hours per week.
If the employment period is less than 40 weeks, the employee is eligible for 10 weeks of unpaid maternity leave.
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What is paternity leave?
Paternity leave provides fathers or partners with job-protected time off after the birth or adoption of a child. This leave enables fathers to bond with their new child, actively participate in early childcare, offer support to the mother, and adapt to their new role as a parent.
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Who pays for maternity leave in hong kong?
In Hong Kong, employers are responsible for paying maternity leave to eligible employees.
For weeks 11 to 14 of maternity leave, employers can apply to the Hong Kong government for reimbursement under the Reimbursement of Maternity Leave Pay Scheme, which is capped at HK$80,000 per employee for these 4 weeks.
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How to calculate maternity leave pay?
The statutory maternity leave pay is 80% of the employee’s average daily wages over the 12 months preceding the first day of maternity leave. The pay for weeks 11 to 14 of maternity leave is subject to a cap of HK$80,000 per employee.