Hong Kong’s top ministers and other political appointees have received a 1.3 per cent pay rise, authorities have confirmed, after the government announced in June that civil servants would get a 2 per cent salary bump.
In a reply to the South China Morning Post, the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau said on Friday that the decision was based on recommendations of an independent commission tasked with reviewing the salaries of politically appointed officials, lawmakers and the Executive Council.
“According to the mechanism approved by the Legislative Council Finance Committee, the pay of politically appointed officials is adjusted annually in line with the average annual change in the C category of the consumer price index,” it said.
The category covers about 10 per cent of Hong Kong households with higher average monthly expenditures.
“Under the annual adjustment mechanism, the cash pay of politically appointed officials at all levels will increase by 1.3 per cent from July 1, 2026,” the bureau said.
The increase aligns with inflation levels affecting those in category C. The figure rose by 1.3 per cent over a 12-month period ending in May.