Salary
Salaries of different posts vary according to qualifications and experience.
Graduates can start as trainee reporters, sub-editors or editorial assistant. Usually, fresh graduates do not have the relevant working experience and status so salaries are relatively low.
Some journalists, such as popular feature-writers, are not employees of a specific publisher. Instead, they work as free-lancers and write articles for different newspapers or magazines. Therefore, their salaries will depend on the volume of their published works and their popularity.
Working Hours and Holidays
Working hours are irregular. Reporters of newspapers have to cover either a day or a night shift of about ten hours each. In addition, reporters must be ready to move at short notice or at awkward hours to cover unexpected events. Therefore, overtime work is not unusual among reporters.
Sub-editors for newspapers usually start working at 4 p.m. and finish the daily work after the final draft is sent for printing.
Journalists' weekly rest days are usually taken on rotational basis so they may not necessarily fall on Sundays. According to a survey conducted in 2001, the average days of annual leave are 12.3, while some journalists enjoy up to 40 days of leave.
Working Environment
Journalists are required to work in any environment, in the office or outdoor sites. When there is very important news, journalists may be required to go to other countries to collect first hand information and make on-the-spot presentation.
Employment Protection
If you have any enquiries about the Employment Ordinance or other labour legislation, you can obtain further information from:
![]() | The 24-hour Enquiry Hotline of the Labour Department :2717 1771 (the Hotline is handle by “1823 Citizen’s Easy Link”) |
![]() | The Labour Department's Homepage: www.labour.gov.hk/eng/legislat/contentA.htm |