Hong Kong’s statutory hourly minimum wage is expected to increase to HK$42.1 ($5.41) on May 1, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government said Tuesday.

The Chief Executive in Council adopted the recommendation of the Minimum Wage Commission (MWC) on raising the hourly statutory minimum wage (SMW) from the current HK$40 to HK$42.1, an increase of HK$2.1 or 5.25 percent, the government said in a statement.

The government will publish the Minimum Wage Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 3) Notice 2025 in the Gazette this Friday and table it in the Legislative Council on Feb 26. Subject to the approval of the LegCo, the revised SMW rate will come into force on Labor Day.

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“After careful consideration, the government is of the view that the MWC has ably discharged its statutory function of reviewing the SMW rate,” Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han was quoted as saying in the statement.

“The recommendation of the MWC is in line with the policy objectives of the SMW to maintain an appropriate balance between forestalling excessively low wages and minimizing the loss of low-paid jobs, while giving due regard to sustaining Hong Kong's economic growth and competitiveness," he added.

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Chairperson of the MWC Priscilla Wong said the commission was delighted to learn that the Chief Executive in Council has accepted its recommendation on raising the minimum wage.