China Labour Law Updates: December 2025

Are you aware of the latest labour law updates in China? We highlight the essential legal changes you should pay attention to across the key states in China!

Increase in Minimum Wage

Updates to Work-Related Injury Insurance Benefits

Zhejiang Province

Zhejiang Province has issued a notice announcing adjustments to the 2025 work-related injury insurance benefits. Effective 1 January 2025, the revised benefits apply to injured employees, their dependents, and retired workers who meet the eligibility requirements and began receiving relevant benefits before 31 December 2024. The detailed adjustments are outlined below:

• Disability Allowance Adjustment Standards
  • Disability Grade 1 increased by RMB124 per month
  • Disability Grade 2 increased by RMB117 per month
  • Disability Grade 3 increased by RMB110 per month
  • Disability Grade 4 increased by RMB103 per month

• Survivor Pensions For Dependent Relatives

Where there are multiple dependants, the total adjusted survivor’s pension must not exceed the province’s 2024 weighted average wage of urban employees, covering both private and non-private sectors.

• Living Care Allowances
  • Retired employees with Grade 1–4 work-related injuries who are already receiving a basic pension: if the pension increase under the 2025 adjustment standards is lower than the corresponding monthly increase in the disability allowance for the same injury grade, the shortfall will be made up through an additional increase in the disability allowance.
  • Retired workers with work-related injuries whose disability grades cannot be determined: if the adjusted increase is less than RMB 110 per person per month, it will be topped up to RMB 110.
  • Other retired workers with work-related injuries: if the adjusted increase is less than RMB 93 per person per month, it will be topped up to RMB 93.

Shanxi Province

According to the latest regulations issued by Shanxi Province, the 2025 standards for work-related injury insurance benefits took effect from 1 January 2025. The new standards apply to injured employees who were receiving monthly disability allowances and living care expenses, as well as to the dependents of deceased workers who were receiving monthly survivor’s pensions before 31 December 2024. The adjustments are as follows:

• Disability Allowance Adjustment Standards
  • Disability Grade 1 increased by RMB103 per month
  • Disability Grade 2 increased by RMB93 per month
  • Disability Grade 3 increased by RMB83 per month
  • Disability Grade 4 increased by RMB73 per month
  • Disability Grade 5 increased by RMB63 per month
  • Disability Grade 6 increased by RMB53 per month

For employees who have suffered from work-related injuries before 1 October 1996 and whose specific disability grade was not formally assessed, disability allowances will be adjusted based on the originally determined degree of incapacity. Employees assessed as completely incapacitated will receive an additional RMB88 per month, while those assessed as having largely lost their capacity to work will receive an additional RMB58 per month.

In addition, for employees with work-related injuries classified as Grade 1 to 4, or assessed as completely incapacitated, where the adjusted monthly disability allowance is below RMB3,343, the allowance will be uniformly topped up to this minimum standard.

• Living Care Allowances
  • Person who is unable to independently care for oneself will receive an additional RMB71 per month.
  • Person who has limited ability to take care of oneself will receive an additional RMB57 per month.
  • Person who is partially unable to take care of oneself will receive an additional RMB43 per month.
  • Where the actual adjusted monthly living care allowance is below RMB 3,499, RMB 2,911, or RMB 2,099 (as applicable), the allowance will be supplemented up to the corresponding standard.

• Survivor Pensions For Dependent Relatives

Each surviving spouse will receive an additional RMB 37 per month, while each other eligible dependent will receive an additional RMB 27 per month.

Qinghai Province

Qinghai Province has issued a notice regarding the 2025 adjustments to work-related injury benefits. Effective 1 January 2025, the updated standards applies to employees who have suffered work-related injuries, as well as dependents of deceased employees who have been receiving relevant benefits as of 31 December 2024. Employees already receiving urban employee basic pension benefits are excluded from the disability allowance adjustments. The details of the adjustment plan are as follows:

• Disability Allowance Adjustment Standards
  • Disability Grade 1 increased by RMB253 per month
  • Disability Grade 2 increased by RMB242 per month
  • Disability Grade 3 increased by RMB228 per month
  • Disability Grade 4 increased by RMB220 per month
  • Level 5 and 6 work-related injuries will be handled according to the adjustment standards for disability allowances for Level 4 work-related injuries.

• Living Care Allowances
  • Person who is unable to independently care for oneself will receive RMB4322 per month.
  • Person who has limited ability to take care of oneself will receive RMB3457 per month.
  • Person who is partially unable to take care of oneself will receive RMB2593 per month.

• Survivor Pensions For Dependent Relatives

The monthly survivor’s pension will increase by RMB 100 per eligible recipient. Where the post-adjustment amount is less than RMB 1,556, it will be supplemented up to the corresponding standard.

Yunnan Province

Yunnan Province has issued a notice announcing adjustments to work-related injury insurance benefits, effective 1 January 2026. The adjustments apply to both injured employees and the dependents of deceased workers who were already receiving relevant benefits before 31 December 2025. The specific standards are as follows:

• Disability Allowance Adjustment Standards
  • Disability Grade 1 increased by RMB100 per month
  • Disability Grade 2 increased by RMB90 per month
  • Disability Grade 3 increased by RMB80 per month
  • Disability Grade 4 increased by RMB70 per month

Where the adjusted allowance falls below the provincial minimum wage standard for Class I areas, it will be supplemented up to the applicable minimum wage level.

• For employees with Grade 1–4 work-related injuries who are receiving basic pensions, if the increase in basic pension for 2025 is lower than the corresponding increase in disability allowances for the same period, the shortfall will be covered by the work-related injury insurance fund.
• For employees with Grade 5–6 work-related injuries who are difficult to redeploy, employers are required to increase disability allowances in line with the growth rate of the employer’s average wage in 2025, with the increase not being lower than the local minimum wage standard. Where the average wage records negative growth, disability allowances must not be reduced.

• Living Care Allowances
  • Employee who is unable to independently care for oneself (including Grade 1 disabled employees already receiving living care allowances) will receive an additional RMB50 per month.
  • Employee who has limited ability to take care of oneself (including Grade 2 disabled employees already receiving living care allowances) will receive an additional RMB 40 per month.
  • Employee who is partially unable to take care of oneself (including Grade 3–4 disabled employees already receiving living care allowances) will receive an additional RMB30 per month.

• Survivor Pensions For Dependent Relatives

Each dependent relative will receive an additional RMB20 per month.

The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has issued a notice announcing adjustments to the standards for disability allowances, living care expenses, and survivor’s pensions in 2025. Effective 1 January 2025, the new standards apply to individuals who have been receiving disability allowances, living care expenses, or survivor’s pensions under the work-related injury insurance scheme before 31 December 2024. The adjustment and retroactive payment process was completed on 17 October 2025. The specific standards are as follows:

• Disability Allowance Adjustment Standards
  • Disability Grade 1 increased by RMB100 per month
  • Disability Grade 2 increased by RMB92 per month
  • Disability Grade 3 increased by RMB84 per month
  • Disability Grade 4 increased by RMB76 per month

• Survivor Pensions For Dependent Relatives
  • The spouse of a deceased employee will receive an additional RMB48 per month.
  • Other dependent relatives will receive an additional RMB32 per month.

• Living Care Allowances
  • Person who is unable to independently care for oneself will receive RMB4090 per month.
  • Person who has limited ability to take care of oneself will receive RMB3272 per month.
  • Person who is partially unable to take care of oneself will receive RMB2454 per month.

Updates to Taxable Housing Fund Policies

Nantong City, Jiangsu Province

Nantong City has issued a notice announcing adjustments to the housing provident fund contribution base for 2025. The new standards apply to employers and employees who were registered for housing provident fund contributions in the city before 31 December 2024, effective 1 July 2025.

All contributing organizations are required to complete the adjustment procedures in a timely manner in accordance with the relevant requirements and to make up any underpaid housing provident fund contributions from July 2025 to the month in which the adjustment is completed. The specific arrangements are outlined below.

• Contribution Base Standards
  • The housing provident fund contribution base for employees shall be determined based on their average monthly salary in 2024. The scope of total salary shall be calculated strictly in accordance with the relevant regulations issued by the National Bureau of Statistics.
  • For 2025, the lower limit of the monthly contribution base shall not be lower than the latest minimum monthly wage standard published by the Nantong Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, while the upper limit shall not exceed RMB 34,000.
  • The contribution ratio for both employers and employees ranges from 5% to 12%. Each contributing unit may independently determine its applicable contribution ratio within this range.

• Adjustment Procedures

When adjusting the contribution base, the following procedures apply:

• Where an employee’s adjusted monthly contribution base is not lower than the city’s minimum social insurance contribution base for the current year, the employer may complete the adjustment either by visiting the designated housing provident fund bank branch or by logging into the employer online service platform.
• Where an employee’s adjusted monthly contribution base is lower than the city’s minimum social insurance contribution base for the current year, the employer must first submit relevant supporting documents – such as the employee’s salary details for the previous year – to the relevant branch of the Nantong Housing Provident Fund Management Center. Upon approval, the employer may then proceed to the designated bank branch to complete the adjustment process.

Dongguan City, Guangdong Province

According to the latest notice, Dongguan City has announced adjustments to the housing provident fund contribution base for 2026. The key arrangements are outlined below.

• Standards for Determining the Contribution Base
  • Current employees: The contribution base shall be determined based on the employee’s average monthly salary for the previous calendar year (1 January to 31 December).
  • Newly hired employees: The contribution base shall be set at the employee’s salary for the second month of employment.
  • Transferred employees: The contribution base shall be determined based on the employee’s salary in the month of transfer.

• Rules for Adjusting the Contribution Base
  • The contribution base may be adjusted only once per calendar year within the same employing unit. Where the contribution base falls outside the prescribed range, it must be adjusted to comply with the applicable limits.
  • Employers may adjust the contribution base in any month of the year. Where an adjustment results in underpayment of contributions for the current year, the shortfall must be made up at the time of adjustment.

• Upper and Lower Limits of the Contribution Base
  • For 2026, the housing provident fund contribution base ranges from RMB 2,080 to RMB 27,391. Contributing units and individuals may adjust the timing of the base adjustment as needed. This range will remain in effect until new standards are officially announced.

Chengdu City, Sichuan Province

Based on the city’s average wage level in 2024, Chengdu City has announced the implementation standards for the 2025 Housing Provident Fund contribution base and contribution ratios. The key adjustments are outlined below.

• Contribution Base
  • The housing provident fund contribution base for employees shall be calculated based on their average monthly wage in the previous calendar year. The scope and composition of wages shall be determined in accordance with national statistical regulations.
  • The upper limit of the housing provident fund contribution base has been adjusted to RMB 31,378.
  • The lower limit of the contribution base is divided into two tiers based on regional classification:
    • Class 1 (RMB 2,100): Applicable to Sichuan Tianfu New Area, Chengdu Eastern New Area, Chengdu High-tech Zone, Jinjiang District, Qingyang District, Jinniu District, Wuhou District, Chenghua District, Longquanyi District, Qingbaijiang District, Xindu District, Wenjiang District, Shuangliu District, Pidu District, and Xinjin District.
    • Class 2 (RMB 1,970): Applicable to Jianyang City, Dujiangyan City, Pengzhou City, Qionglai City, Chongzhou City, Jintang County, Dayi County, and Pujiang County.

• Contribution Ratios

Both employers and employees may independently determine their respective contribution ratios within the statutory range of 5% to 12%.

• Adjustment Requirements

The revised upper and lower limits of the contribution base will take effect from 1 January 2025. Employers are required to ensure the accuracy and completeness of employee contribution information and to complete the necessary adjustments in a timely manner. To safeguard employees’ lawful rights and interests, all contribution base adjustments must be completed by 30 August 2025.

Updates to Population & Family Planning Policies

Sichuan Province

Sichuan Province has recently issued amendments to the Population and Family Planning Regulations, clarifying and adjusting policies relating to marriage leave, maternity leave, paternity leave, and parental leave. The key revisions are outlined below.

• Marriage Leave
  • Couples who legally register their marriage are entitled to 20 days of marriage leave. Where a premarital medical examination is completed prior to marriage registration, an additional 5 days of marriage leave will be granted.
  • Employees who register their marriage on or after 28 November 2024 shall be entitled to marriage leave in accordance with the amended regulations. Where an employee has already commenced marriage leave but has not yet fully utilised it, the outstanding leave may be supplemented in line with the new provisions, subject to completion of the relevant procedures with the employer.
  • Marriage leave must be taken within one year from the date of marriage registration. With the employer’s consent, it may be taken in instalments.
  • The same marriage leave entitlements apply to remarried employees.

• Maternity Leave
  • Eligible female employees are entitled to an additional 90 days of maternity leave on top of the national statutory maternity leave. Where a female employee gives birth to a third child, she may, upon application and with the employer’s consent, extend her maternity leave by a further 30 days.
  • The above maternity leave standards apply to births on or after 28 November 2025.
  • Where maternity leave has commenced but has not been fully utilised, the remaining leave may be extended in accordance with the amended regulations. Where maternity leave has already been fully taken, no additional leave will be granted. Maternity leave must be taken in one continuous period and may not be split.
  • Couples with children under the age of three are entitled to a cumulative 10 working days of parental leave per year, calculated from the child’s first birthday.

• Paternity Leave
  • The husband is entitled to 30 days of paternity leave, which must be taken during the wife’s maternity leave and should, in principle, be taken in one continuous period. This standard applies to births on or after 28 November 2025. Where paternity leave has commenced but has not been fully utilised, it may be extended to 30 days in accordance with the amended regulations. Where paternity leave has already been fully taken, no additional leave will be granted. Paternity leave is not cumulative for multiple births.

Marriage leave, maternity leave, paternity leave, and parental leave are treated as attendance, and employees’ wages and benefits shall not be affected. People’s governments at or above the county level, together with employers, are required to ensure the effective implementation of marriage, maternity, nursing, and childcare leave entitlements in accordance with the regulations.

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