Hong Kong has a long-standing reputation for having lengthy office hours and strict office culture, so it’s no surprise that more and more tech-savvy workers are quitting the 9 to 5 in favor of going out on their own as independent contractors.
If you’re sourcing freelance talent from Hong Kong, there’s no shortage of highly skilled professionals offering software development, design, and programming services.
But as with all other overseas countries, Hong Kong has its own set of nuanced rules and regulations around working with independent contractors. So you’ll need to do your due diligence before entering into any employment agreements.
Hong Kong has no specific laws governing independent contractors. This makes compliance with their local tax and legal regulations complex and difficult to navigate for overseas employers.
Plus, if an independent contractor has worked for your company for at least 18 hours a week, for over four consecutive weeks, your contractor may qualify for some workers’ rights, similar to employee rights. You’ll need to take this into consideration when you’re structuring projects and contracts.
Freelancers in Hong Kong are responsible for paying their own taxes and government contritions, which means your company won’t need to make any tax or social security deductions from their independent contractors’ payments.
While these are some of the current rules you need to be aware of when you’re hiring in Hong Kong, employee laws are subject to change at any time—leaving your business wide open to failing to comply with local legislations.
Using a platform like Worksuite automates many of the processes you need to compliantly hire freelancers based in Hong Kong. This saves you time and eliminates the risk of any legal issues stemming from contractual oversights.
Worksuite protects its customers from little known rules and regulations that govern freelancer engagements as independent contractors. It’s what we call the Global Shield of freelance talent.
We customize your onboarding flows and screening questionnaires to help you accurately determine things like workers’ status and employee entitlements in compliance with Hong Kong laws.
In addition, our top tier legal partners in Hong Kong can create contract templates specifically for your business that are compliant with local laws.
And if these laws change at any time? You’ll be notified as soon as it happens so your business has complete peace of mind about your Hong Kong talent pool.