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In Hong Kong, youth are a special category of people who are specifically protected under the law.\u00a0 The term youth includes both \u201cchildren\u201d and \u201cyoung persons\u201d. In relation to employment, a \u201cchildren\u201d are defined as persons under the age of 15 whereas \u201cyoung persons\u201d are defined as persons above the age of 15 but under the age of 18.<\/p>\n
Children aged below 13 are generally not allowed to work in all economic sectors in Hong Kong. Children aged between 13 and 15 are not allowed to work in factories or to take employment that is industrial in nature; but they can be employed in non-industrial establishments. The law further differentiates between those who have completed Form 3 education and those who have not. If children aged between 13 and 15 are employed, the employer has to adhere to certain work conditions, for example, there are limitations on the total number of hours of work a day, and break must be given to the child employee. Children workers shall not be employed in any premises which are deemed dangerous or morally bad for them.<\/p>\n
For more details, please visit\u00a0Child and Youth Affairs > Rights of youth as employee > Laws protecting young workers<\/a>.<\/p>\n Employers in the entertainment, advertising or related filed may employ child entertainers of different ages. There are procedural safeguards to protect child entertainers.<\/p>\n First, employers who wish to employ child entertainers should apply to the Commissioner of Labour. Second, the employment of the children should not \u201cinterfere with their well-being, including that of safety, health and morals\u201d. Then, on application, the Commissioner of Labour will impose specific conditions and restrictions on a case-by-case basis. Moreover, children below the age of 13 are not allowed to work for profit purposes, even as entertainers.<\/p>\n There are certain limitations on employment conditions. Special treatment is given to children under the age of six. Free transport should be provided to take each child employee home if he\/she is required to work after 7 p.m. Furthermore, it is prohibited to involve a child in acts that are dangerous to his\/her life, health or morals.<\/p>\n For further information, you may go to\u00a0Child and Youth Affairs > Rights of youth as employee > Entertainers<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to the\u00a0Apprenticeship Ordinance<\/a>, apprentices have special work hours, special contract terms, and a Director of Apprenticeship can be appointed to investigate claims and any infringement of the ordinancearising from the employment. Currently, there are 45 recognized apprenticeship trades.<\/p>\n The law requires every contract of apprenticeship to be in writing, and contain the prescribed terms and conditions. Apprentices are required by law to be medically examined with respect to his\/her fitness to be employed in the trade. The employer should arrange and pay for the medical examination of the apprentice before the registration of the contract of apprenticeship.<\/p>\n The law permits apprentices to work overtime, but subject to certain limitations. If the Commissioner for Labour finds that overtime employment adversely affects the health of an apprentice, the Commissioner may prohibit the overtime employment.<\/p>\n For more details, please refer to\u00a0Child and Youth Affairs > Rights of youth as employee > Apprenticeship<\/a>.<\/p>\n In Hong Kong, both written and verbal employment contracts are enforceable. But it is preferable that any employment contract is made in writing and signed, as signed written contracts have many more benefits over verbal employment contracts.<\/p>\n Written employment contracts that are signed have a multitude of benefits as they specify the employment terms and conditions. This has an effect of clearly delineating the obligations of both employers and employees and thus, would better protect the interests of the employees. If there is a dispute regarding work conditions, a clear, signed, written contract will have the effect of clarifying the issues. A signed, written contract can act as a reference point for both the employers and employees to discuss or arbitrate any of their contractual duties.<\/p>\n There are numerous things you have to be aware of before signing an employment contract. You may go to\u00a0Child and Youth Affairs > Rights of youth as employee > Things to be aware of before signing employment contracts<\/a>\u00a0to learn more about this.<\/p>\n Normally, the\u00a0Minimum Wage Ordinance<\/a>\u00a0applies to every employee, his or her employer and the contract of employment under which he or she is engaged. However, it does not apply to student interns and work experience students during a period of exempt student employment.<\/p>\n There are specific definitions for student interns and work experience students in law. For more details, please go to\u00a0Child and Youth Affairs > Rights of youth as employee > Internship<\/a>.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”FAQ” module_class=”posttitle” _builder_version=”4.9.7″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”] FAQ [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.7″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″] 1. Are children allowed to work in Hong Kong? In Hong Kong, youth are a special category of people who are specifically protected under the law.\u00a0 The term youth includes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" Adoption is a legal process by which parental rights and responsibilities over a child are transferred from the birth parents to the adoptive parents. An adoption in Hong Kong must be effected in accordance with the Adoption Ordinance , Cap. 290<\/a> , Laws of Hong Kong. The guiding principle in the adoption process is the \u201cbest interests of the child\u201d ( section 8<\/a> of the Adoption Ordinance<\/a> ).<\/p> Local adoption service in Hong Kong is provided by the Adoption Unit of the Social Welfare Department and three non-governmental organizations, as Accredited Bodies:<\/p> The statutory requirements concerning the accreditation system in respect of local adoption in the HKSAR are set out in sections 26<\/a> , 26A<\/a> and 26B<\/a> of the Adoption Ordinance<\/a> .<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25,33,29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-child-and-youth-affairs","category-rights-of-youth-as-employee","category-topics"],"yoast_head":"\n2. My 4 year old son was invited to perform in a TV commercial. What things should I be aware of?<\/h3>\n
3. How does the law protect apprentices?<\/h3>\n
4. Can verbal agreements be treated as employment contracts?<\/h3>\n
5. I am working as an intern in a hotel. Am I entitled to be paid by statutory minimum wage?<\/h3>\n