The minimum wage law has led more people - especially the elderly - to come out to work, said the body overseeing the city's first statutory wage floor.
From May 1, when the HK$28-an-hour wage was enforced, to July, the labour force grew by 45,500, compared with a year earlier, the Minimum Wage Commission said in a review of the new law's effect.
'Though the number of young people in the labour force also increased, the notable increase was in old people,' commission member Helen Chan said.
Chan, a government economist, said the number of people between 50 and 59 who were willing to work rose 23,600, and 21,000 had been able to land a job. About 8,000 people 60 or above wanted to enter or re-enter the labour market and most found a job.
The situation is in sharp contrast to warnings from employers that many old people would be ousted from the job market by younger people.
Chan said that though the wage floor might be a factor in luring people to seek work, the buoyant economy - with unemployment at 3.4 per cent - made it easier to find a job.