{
  "id": 8346531,
  "title": "Hong Kong civil servants to get hourly leave but businesses unlikely to follow",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/hong-kong-civil-servants-to-get-hourly-leave-but-businesses-unlikely-8346531",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-19T01:00:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post - Hong Kong",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post-hong-kong",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3367885/hong-kong-civil-servants-get-hourly-leave-businesses-unlikely-follow"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The Hong Kong government has announced plans to introduce hourly family care leave for civil servants as part of its efforts to boost birth rates, according to the South China Morning Post. The policy, outlined in the government's recent policy address, aims to provide civil servants with greater flexibility in managing personal matters such as hospital visits or parent-teacher meetings. Civil servants can apply for leave by the hour, with an expected annual entitlement of 10 to 12 hours, set to take effect in early 2027. While civil servants generally welcomed the proposal, business leaders expressed skepticism about the private sector following suit, citing manpower and financial constraints, particularly for smaller firms. Labour sector lawmaker Ngan Man-him noted that the government could serve as a role model for the private sector, but adoption might be challenging for SMEs due to limited resources and manpower.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
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        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/in-pictures-hong-kong-sex-work-exhibition-explores-violence-and",
        "published": "2026-09-19T00:28:21.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "Hong Kong civil servants to get hourly leave but businesses unlikely to follow",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/hong-kong-civil-servants-to-get-hourly-leave-but-businesses-unlikely",
        "published": "2026-09-19T01:00:07.000Z"
      },
      {
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        "title": "Mid-Autumn Festival 2026: Best things to do to celebrate in Hong Kong",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/mid-autumn-festival-2026-best-things-to-do-to-celebrate-in-hong-kong",
        "published": "2026-09-19T01:27:54.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "(Asiad) S. Korea beats Hong Kong to begin women's handball competition",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/asiad-s-korea-beats-hong-kong-to-begin-womens-handball-competition",
        "published": "2026-09-19T04:28:19.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}