Statutory holidays are also commonly known as labour holiday.  In accordance with the Employment Ordinance, all employees, irrespective of the length of service or whether the employee is employed under a continuous contract, are entitled to 12 days of statutory holidays each year.

The Employment Ordinance sets out 12 days of statutory holidays for each year as follows: 

• the first day of January (1 January);
• Lunar New Year's Day;
• the second day of Lunar New Year;
• the third day of Lunar New Year;
• Ching Ming Festival;
• Labour Day (1 May);
• Tuen Ng Festival;
• Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day (1 July);
• the day following the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival;
• National Day (1 October);
• Chung Yeung Festival; and
• Chinese Winter Solstice Festival or Christmas Day (at the option of the employer). 

A statutory holiday is not equivalent to public holiday (also known as general holiday), and the Employment Ordinance does not require an employer to grant leaves on public holidays to his/her employees.  In Hong Kong, in addition to Sundays, there are 17 public holidays.  Public holidays such as Good Friday, the day following Good Friday, Easter Day, the Buddha's Birthday and the day following Christmas Day are not statutory holidays.  For details of public holidays, please click here.

Whether an employee should be paid with holiday pay on a statutory holiday, please refer to “Are all employees entitled to statutory holidays? Are employers required to have employees to take leave on the day of statutory holiday?”

The is not a legal document. The Ordinance remains the sole authority for the provisions of the law explained.