Hong Kong’s Four Major Chambers grant employees half-day paid leave to encourage voting in 2025 LegCo Election

閱讀中文版本

The wider business community is also being urged to adopt supportive measures, such as flexible working hours or compensatory leave, to help employees participate in the election.

Hong Kong’s Four Major Chambers – namely the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, the Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong, the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, and the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce – have jointly announced the provision of a half-day paid leave for employees to encourage voter turnout for the 2025 Legislative Council (LegCo) General Election scheduled for 7 December 2025.

In addition to providing paid leave to employees who vote, the Chambers are encouraging member companies and the broader business sector to adopt supportive measures, such as flexible working hours or compensatory leave, to make it easier for employees to exercise their civic duty.

The Chambers noted that the upcoming election is a pivotal moment for Hong Kong. As key pillars of the business community, the Chambers are committed to supporting the election, and call on the business community to encourage broad voter participation.

Meanwhile, according to local media reports, the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong has issued a letter urging member travel agents and their employees to actively vote on the polling day. The Council has also encouraged them to advise customers to adjust travel plans where necessary to ensure they can participate in the election.

Seven associations in the catering industry have also issued a joint letter, calling on businesses to adopt a range of facilitative measures to support employee voting. These include allowing staff to vote before reporting to work, adjusting shift schedules, encouraging colleagues to swap shifts, granting a short-term 'voting timeout' for on-duty staff, permitting voting during break times, and arranging transportation for staff to reach polling stations.

Photo / HRO