Hong Kong civil servants to get hourly leave but businesses unlikely to follow

Hong Kong civil servants could receive flexible hourly family care leave next year as part of the government’s wider drive to boost birth rates, the South China Morning Post has learned, though business leaders warn the private sector has little incentive to follow suit, citing manpower and financial constraints, especially for smaller firms.

Under the “promote fertility” section of Wednesday’s policy address, the government said it would introduce family care leave for its employees to enhance family-friendly measures.

A government source said that civil servants could apply for leave by the hour for personal matters, such as accompanying family members to hospital or attending parent-teacher meetings.

The Civil Service Bureau was formulating details and would conduct further consultation with government employees, the insider added.