Hong Kong to make paid paternity leave compulsory from February 27

All working fathers will have the right to enjoy paid time off with their newborns from later this month, as amendments to the Employment Ordinance creating statutory paternity leave come into force.

New dads employed by private firms will be able to claim three days' leave on four-fifths of their usual pay from February 27, when new laws approved by lawmakers in December come into force, the Labour Department announced yesterday.

Labour activists have been pressing for the change for nine years, but say the new arrangement is no more than a "baby step forward" and vowed to continue fighting for more generous terms.

The three-day arrangement represents a compromise between employer and worker representatives on the Labour Advisory Board. Concerns were expressed that offering more leave would put undue pressure on small or medium-sized businesses, which might struggle, for example, to find someone to stand in for an absent employee.

Government estimates show that granting three days of paternity leave will add 0.02 per cent to the total costs of the city's employers, some HK$114 million.

Civil servants receive five days of leave on full pay under a policy introduced four years ago, and some private employers already offer more generous leave terms.