The new “continuous contract” requirement will take effect on 18 January 2026. Under the new requirement, an employee is regarded as being employed under a “continuous contract” if the following criteria are met:
- the employee has been employed continuously by the same employer for four weeks or more; and
- the employee has met one of the working hours requirements :
- he has worked for at least 17 hours in each week; or
- (where he has worked less than 17 hours in any week) he has worked for 68 hours or more in a four-week period(Note 1) comprising that week and the three weeks next preceding that week ("468 Rule")(Note 2).
(Note 1) The employee has to be employed by the employer concerned in this four-week period. Therefore, the “468 Rule” does not apply to the first three weeks of a new employment. During the first three weeks of a new employment, the employee has to work for at least 17 hours in each week (i.e. criterion (2)(i) mentioned above).
(Note 2) For an employment period before the application of the new requirement, an employee is still required to be employed continuously by the same employer for four weeks or more and has worked for at least 18 hours or more each week to meet the “continuous contract” requirement.
This education tool demonstrates whether the weekly working hours of an employee meet the new working hours threshold under the new “continuous contract” requirement. Users can enter working hours for up to ten consecutive weeks in chronological order. This education tool will then display the relevant results based on the data entered. Please note that this education tool is to assist employers and employees in understanding the new “continuous contract” requirement. The data entered and the results generated are hypothetical scenarios. Whether an employee is employed under a “continuous contract” depends on various factors, including the actual circumstances of each case, the detailed terms of the employment contract, and the duration of employment. These factors vary from case to case and therefore cannot be reflected in the calculations of the education tool.