Skip to main content

Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance

Briefings

Hong Kong Chief Executive sets timetable for equal opportunities push

17 October 2017

Hong Kong's Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, has said she will bring forward legislative proposals to address some key equal opportunities issues. In her inaugural policy address, she said the Government would submit legislative amendment proposals in the 2017-2018 session of the Legislative Council to implement key recommendations contained in a review of Hong Kong's discrimination laws carried out in consultation with Hong Kong's Equal Opportunities Commission.

In this article, Anita Lam, Clifford Chance's Head of Employment, Hong Kong, looks at the implications of the proposed changes to the Hong Kong anti-discrimination ordinances.

Apart from the anti-discrimination push, among the other initiatives proposed are a plan to increase paternity leave from three to five days and work on extending maternity leave beyond ten weeks. The Government also  confirmed that the "offsetting" arrangement under the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) system will be abolished, so increasing the amount of MPF benefits available to employees on retirement.  Also included in the address were measures to assist the integration of ethnic minorities into Hong Kong's society, in part by reviewing language entry requirements for Government jobs.

The Chief Executive's 2017 policy address can be found below.

Download PDF