Hong Kong · South Korea · Japan · Fortune Technology
Rosewood Hotels institutes a global 16-week paid parental leave policy as Asia grapples with crashing birth rates
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Hong Kong’s fertility rate has sunk to roughly 0.8 children per woman, far below the replacement rate of 2.1 needed to maintain a stable population.
Key facts
- Rosewood Hong Kong, meanwhile, was ranked the No. 1 hotel by The World’s 50 Best Hotels in 2025
- Hong Kong has tried to implement policies to subsidize some of the costs of childcare, including a one-off “ baby bonus ” of 20,000 Hong Kong dollars ($2,550) to no avail
- Zoom, meanwhile, has trimmed leave for birth mothers to 18 weeks, down from 22, and cut non-birthing parents’ leave to 10 weeks from 16
- Correction, May 25, 2026: An earlier version of this article misstated Sonia Cheng’s position at Chow Tai Fook Jewellery
Summary
Long working hours and high childcare costs make starting a family a difficult choice for many households. Hong Kong’s problem isn’t unique, as several Asian economies like South Korea, Japan, and Mainland China are also grappling with falling birth rates. Earlier this year, the luxury hotel chain, owned by Hong Kong’s billionaire Cheng family, introduced a parental leave policy offering 16 weeks of fully paid leave to all employees, regardless of gender or seniority; employees still qualify if they adopt. “By rolling this policy out, it’s going to have an impact on our culture and our talent, and it’s going to drive business resilience in the long-term,” says Keno Lung, Rosewood’s global senior vice president for talent and culture.