Legislative and Regulatory Updates

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Canada:

• Ontario to align statutory leave duration with Employment Insurance sickness benefit entitlements
• Ontario’s Bill 190 to amend sick leave eligibility criteria and extend occupational and safety requirements to remote workers
• British Columbia Financial Services Authority releases 2024/25 regulatory roadmap
• Employer allowances for employees’ use of personal vehicle for work purposes increased

Hong Kong: Continuous contract requirement to be relaxed, expanding statutory benefits and protections to more employees

Japan: Employers with more than 50 employees must enroll certain part-time employees in social insurance

Malaysia: The scope of application of workplace health and safety obligations expanded to all employers, and new obligations apply

Netherlands: Government to encourage agreements between healthcare providers and health insurers

Singapore: Government issues mandatory Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangements

South Africa: New law introducing universal health insurance will progressively reduce private insurance needs

United Kingdom: Personal Independence Payment program to overhaul the disability benefits system, public consultations launched

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Belgium: Employees receiving fertility or medically assisted reproduction treatment entitled to new protections

Canada:

• A national drug insurance program framework under review by Parliament
• Manitoba to extend unpaid long-term disability leave from 17 weeks to 27 weeks

Colombia: Reduction in working time without a reduction in pay introduced by law

Denmark:

• Additional 13 weeks of leave for each parent in all cases of multiple births enters into force
• Ministry of Employment issues new Guidance on the Discrimination Act

France:

• Accrual of annual leave during sick leave entails new employer obligations
• Proposed menstrual leave, remote work entitlement for dysmenorrhea, and miscarriage leave rejected by Parliament
• Tax-exempt flat-rate mileage allowance for employees’ use of personal vehicle unchanged

South Africa: Two-pot retirement system reforms pending Presidential Assent

United Kingdom: Revenue provides guidance related to forthcoming regulations the lifetime allowance abolition

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Belgium:

• Law protecting employees undergoing fertility treatment against termination and discrimination, imminent
• Tax-exempt flat-rate reimbursement for employees’ use of own vehicle for work purposes decreases
• Legislation to align the regulatory framework of sports/culture vouchers’ with that of meal voucher and eco-checks’ approved

Brazil: Federal Supreme Court extends maternity leave rights to same-sex unions

France: New profit-sharing law to better associate employees with company performance

Indonesia: Statutory religious holiday allowances must be paid in full, allowances for Eid-al Fitr due by 3 April 2024

Ireland:

• WRC releases Code of Practice on remote and flexible working
• Legislation to align employment contracts’ retirement age and the State Pension age

United Kingdom: Amendments to family leave employment protections in cases of redundancy or restructuring introduced by law

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Australia: Enforceable employment-protected right to disconnect introduced by law

Canada

• British Columbia to launch fertility treatment program
• British Columbia’s Proposed 2024 Budget includes measures to offset the impact of inflation
• Quebec’s actuarial assumptions for 2024 DB plan valuations updated

Denmark: Parliament considering 13 weeks of leave for each parent in all cases of multiple births or adoptions

Germany: Ordinance regulates pension funds’ connection to the Central Office for Digital Pension Overview

Hong Kong: Government to relax continuous contract requirement entitling more employees to a range of rights and benefits

India: Karnataka Compulsory Gratuity Insurance Rules in force

Netherlands: CO2 registration and data reporting for work-related personal mobility enters into effect after two postponements

South Korea: Parental leave social benefits enhanced to further incentivize co-parenting

United Arab Emirates: Employees may claim unpaid dues even after signing an 'All Dues Paid' document

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Canada:

• Manitoba introduces Orange Shirt Day as a new statutory holiday
• Canadian Dental Care Plan rollout details announced

Chile: Law on the protection of maternity, paternity and family life entitles parents and carers to remote work arrangements

France: Meal voucher usage rules extended, and exemption limit increased

Italy:

• Parental leave social allowances significantly increase
• 2024 Budget Law includes tax-favorable employee benefits

Japan: Employers must provide reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities

Poland: Decree mandates health and safety requirements including vision correcting contact-lenses for employees using portable systems

South Africa: Government forging ahead with two-pot retirement system reforms

United Kingdom:

• New paternity leave rules to apply for children born or adopted, on or after 6 April 2024
• Government published guidance on changes to Working Time Regulations
• New ACAS Code of Practice on flexible working requests

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Australia: Right to superannuation contributions included in National Employment Standard

Belgium: New tax-exempt limits and withholding rules apply to commuting allowances

Czech Republic: Tax-exemption limits will apply to in-kind benefits, starting 1 January 2024

Germany:

• Income test limits for parental leave allowance to be reduced, starting 1 April 2024
• Increase in child sick days and related social benefits

Ireland: Employer-paid domestic violence leave in effect, starting 27 November 2023

Japan: Employers must accommodate individuals with disabilities, as of 1 April 2024

Netherlands: Standard contribution rate slightly decreased, as of 1 January 2024

Singapore: Bill ending non-residents’ participation in CPF plans under parliament review

Spain: Government proposes universal right to accumulate the one hour per day gender-neutral employer-paid statutory breastfeeding leave

United Kingdom:

• Unpaid carer’s leave scheduled to come into effect on 6 April 2024
• Employees entitled to request flexible working arrangements from day one

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Canada:

• Rollout of the Canadian Dental Care Plan imminent
• Ontario’s Working for Workers Act 2023 receives Royal Assent

Belgium:

• Larger employers must appoint a “trusted person”, as of 1 December 2024
• Formula for calculating the mobility budget introduced by royal decree

France:

• France: AGIRC-ARCCO pension point purchase price and purchase value increased
• AGIRC-ARRCO national interprofessional agreement revalues pensions, and adopts measures in line with the state pension reforms

Italy: 2024 Budget Bill includes several employment and benefits-relate provisions

Ireland: Employer-paid sick leave entitlement increases as of 1 January 

Netherlands: Timeline for transitioning to new pension system to be extended shortly

Portugal: Tax-exempt limits apply to employer-paid work from home allowances

Singapore: Duration of government-paid paternity leave and of unpaid infant care leave double

South Africa: High Court ruling extends the scope of maternity leave benefits beyond pregnant mothers

United Kingdom: Regulations clarifying employers’ annual leave pay obligations to be in force by 1 January 2024 

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Australia: Government issues guidance on flexible work arrangements for employees with disability 

Austria: EU Work-life Balance Directive transposed into local legislation

Belgium: Employers must display a dated and signed notice of 2024 statutory holidays in the workplace by 15 December 2023

Brazil: Women-friendly Company Seal to promote gender equity follows the introduction of the pay equity law

France:

• Supreme Court rules on profit-sharing benefits during therapeutic part-time work
• Supreme Court invokes EU legislation, disregarding the French Labor Code’s annual leave provisions

Netherlands: Proposed law to simplify employment of individuals with an illness or disability

Singapore:

• Tripartite workgroup to develop flexible work arrangement guidelines for 2024
• 2024 statutory holiday dates set by Ministry of Manpower

Slovakia: Business trip meal allowance increases, trigger increases in meal voucher and meal allowance amounts

South Korea: New guidance on overseas-listed stocks acquired through a stock compensation program

United Kingdom: 

• Enactment of amendments to employers’ duty of protection against sexual harassment imminent
• Law allows for a reduction in pension auto-enrolment age, and changes to the lower earnings contribution limit

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Colombia: Timeframe for mandatory breastfeeding breaks extended from 6 months to 2 years

France: Decree specifies the terms for taking and dividing adoption leave, and for combining it with family event leave

India: Supreme Court rules that maternity benefits extend beyond the end of employment agreements

Ireland: Commencement date for new employee breastfeeding break entitlements and leave for medical care purposes announced

Israel:

• Public holiday for municipal authorities’ and regional councils’ elections must be observed on 31 October 2023
• Regulation restricts managers’ insurance plan deposits

Mexico: Doubling of employees’ annual leave bonus, and introduction of paid family care leave proposed

Netherlands: 

• Continued wage payment obligations to AOW-aged employees during sick leave reduced
• Government’s 2024 Budget Plan and Tax Proposal released

United Arab Emirates

• DIFC proposed amendments to require contributions to Qualifying Schemes for GCC employees
• Government adopts new private sector end-of-service benefit system

United Kingdom: Flexible Working Bill receives Royal Assent

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Brazil: Minimum mandatory coverage for cancer and multiple sclerosis treatment amended as of 1 September 2023

Belgium: Protected criteria expanded, concept of multiple discrimination introduced, and potential sanctions intensified

Denmark: Parents of twins to become entitled to additional leave

France: 

• Miscarriage-related sick leave benefits and employment protection measures introduced by law
• Exemption limit of the employer's share of a meal voucher’s value increases again
• New leaves and protections for families of children affected by a long-term serious illness or disability

Germany: Legislation to abolish psychiatric assessment requirements for name and gender changes

Hong Kong: Abolition of the Mandatory Provident Fund offsetting arrangement effective date announced

Italy: In-kind benefit tax-exemption limit for employees with dependent children significantly increased

Netherlands: Government launches pension reforms’ major public information campaign

Singapore: Government announces 1 September 2023 as a public holiday

South Africa: Lower house of parliament approves the National Health Insurance Bill paving the way for universal health insurance

Taiwan: Early term miscarriage-related sick leave may no longer affect an employee’s attendance bonus

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Australia:

• New law increases unpaid parental leave and supports shared childcaring responsibilities
• Increased frequency of superannuation contribution payments proposed
• High-income threshold increased by 3.4% affecting guarantee of annual earnings

Canada: Duration of leave for the death or disappearance of a child increased by 50%

Chile: Legislation introduces gradual reduction in working hours and other family-friendly provisions

Indonesia: Employers must comply with new workplace sexual violence requirements

United Arab Emirates: Scope of Emiratization expanded to include smaller employers in certain sectors

United Kingdom: 

• Government publishes ethnicity pay reporting guidance
• Duration of redundancy protection related to maternity, adoption, or shared parental leave extended
• Government announces plans to amend paternity leave legislation
• SAYE option plans become more attractive as their bonus rates will be automatically adjusted to Bank of England base rate changes

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Australia: Reporting to Workplace Gender Equality Agency amended

Belgium:

• Proposed legislation to allow for the transfer of unused parental leave entitlements to a surviving spouse or partner
• Certain companies may award a tax-favorable purchasing power bonus to their employees through 31 December 2023

Canada:

• Nova Scotia restricts the ability of provincially regulated employers to request a medical certificate from absent employees
• Ontario employers aware of opioid overdose risks must have naloxone kits in the workplace

France:

• Proposed Law to extend mandatory profit-sharing mechanisms to smaller companies
• Proposed law to introduce paid menstrual leave and miscarriage leave
• Temporary tax incentives for private use of employer-provided electric vehicle extended

India: Tax-exempt limit for payments in lieu of unused annual leave upon retirement or resignation increased 

Netherlands: Documenting employees’ opinion in a reintegration action plan becomes mandatory

Poland: Proposed pan-European individual pension product law under parliamentary review

South Africa: Law shifts self-set workforce equity goals to enforceable government-set targets

Singapore: Foreign national employees’ mandatory medical insurance coverage enhanced, starting 1 July 2023

United Kingdom: New entitlement to unpaid carer’s leave introduced by law

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Australia: Minimum superannuation guarantee rate increases by 0.5%, starting 1 July

Belgium: Annual leave interrupted for certain reasons, including illness, can be carried over, starting 2024

Brazil: Employers must include employees’ racial and ethnic classification in documents specified by law

Canada: British Columbia’s Pay Transparency Act entails employer obligations and prohibitions

European Union: European Parliament and the Council adopt the Pay Transparency Directive

Ireland: Public hospital in-patient fees abolished

Netherlands:

• Pension reforms shifting all supplementary pensions to flat-rate contribution DC plans approved by Senate
• Bill to control labor market discrimination under Senate review

Spain:

• Law introduces new paid sick leave provisions, including menstrual leave
• Sick leave monitoring and administration rules amended

United Arab Emirates: MoHRE announces Emiratization target-related penalties

United Kingdom:

• Statutory neonatal care leave and pay approaching parliamentary approval
• Bill to extend the duration of protection from redundancy for employees taking maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave
• Government opens online consultation on reforms that include proposed changes to annual leave entitlements and pay

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Australia: Scope of eligibility for flexible working arrangements expanded

Chile: New paid leave for parents of children on the autism spectrum introduced by law

India: Eligible employees may apply for EPS contributions based on uncapped pay via the recently launched online system until 3 May 2023

Indonesia: Employers must pay the religious holiday allowance in full starting with the 2023 Eid al Fitr

Ireland:

• Provisions of the EU Work Life Balance Directive transposed into local legislation
• Employer guidance on reportable tax-exempt benefits issued by Revenue

Poland: EU Work Life Balance Directive transposed into local legislation

Peru: Bill proposes leave for dysmenorrhea or menstrual discomfort

Türkiye: Statutory retirement age criteria abolished; government incentivizes rapid rehiring of retiring employees

United Kingdom: Employment Tribunal awards for injury to feelings and psychiatric injury increased by up to 14%

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Australia:

• Employees now entitled to family and domestic violence leave
• Paid parental leave reformed as of 1 July 2023

Belgium:

• Annual leave accrues during 2022 temporary force majeure unemployment
• Occupational training measures of the Labor Deal enter into effect
• Flat-rate tax-exempt mileage allowance expected to slightly decrease

Canada: British Columbia adopts National Day for Truth and Reconciliation a statutory holiday

Colombia: Reduction in working time without a reduction in pay introduced by law

Mexico: Mexico City to submit proposed legislation for gender-based leaves to the Federal Congress

Saudi Arabia: Flag Day announced as a new annual statutory holiday

Thailand: New work-from-home framework introduced by law

United Kingdom:

• Spring Finance Bill 2023 includes employment benefit-related provisions
• Equality, diversity and inclusion guidance published by The Pension Regulator for trustees and for sponsors

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Brazil: Fines for non-compliance with statutory quota of employees with disabilities

Denmark: Bill to abolish the Great Day of Prayer as a public holiday

Ireland: Government to introduce new auto-enrolment pension scheme staring 2024

Israel: Health insurance reforms’ entry into effect postponed by 3 months

Netherlands: Select tax-favorable employee allowances increase

Poland:

• Remote work introduced as a permanent form of work
• Reimbursement limits for employees’ use of a personal vehicle for business purposes increase after 16 years

Saudi Arabia: 2-hour reduction in work hours through the holy month of Ramadan

Singapore: Government extends heightened safety period by 3 Months introducing additional OHS measures

Spain: Law providing for paid leave for women with menstrual pain passed by Senate

UAE: Work hours reduced during the holy month of Ramadan

United Kingdom: Government announces public consultations and call for evidence on its plans to close the DB-DC pensions inequality gap

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Australia:  Proposed Federal Budget to reform government-paid parental leave

Belgium:  New law exempts employees from providing a medical certificate for the first day of a sick leave, resulting in potential obligations for certain employers

EU: European Parliament and the Council reach agreement on the Directive on pay transparency

France: Maximum tax-exempt amount of employers’ share of meal vouchers increased by 9.8%

Germany: Employers incentivized to provide inflation bonuses of up to EUR 3,000

India: Per recent Supreme Court ruling certain employees may set EPS contributions and benefits based on uncapped pay

Ireland: 

• Employer contributions to PRSAs no longer considered as in-kind benefits
• Employer obligation to disclose reportable benefits to Revenue
• Cycle to Work Scheme and the Small Benefit Exemption Scheme amended

Japan: Public disclosure of childcare leave utilization mandated by law

Mexico:  Significant increase in statutory annual leave entitlements apply from employees’ next work anniversary

Poland:

• First mandatory PKK auto-enrollment starts in 2023, and employees’ past declaration of resignation from PKK expire
• Human Rights Commissioner triggers the delayed implementation of the EU Work-Life Balance

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Belgium:  Eleventh hour legislation neutralizes the impact on labor and social legislation of recent Civil Code reform rule that eliminated Saturdays as a working day

Canada: Ontario legislation sets criteria for pension plans that need a collective agreement, and requires plan funding and governance policies

China: 2023 Public Holiday schedule released by the State Council

Denmark: Notice period for postponement of parental leave reduced by 2 weeks

European Union: New “Women on Boards” Directive provides further impetus towards gender equity

Ireland:

• Enactment of Bill transposing the EU Work-Life Balance Directive anticipated
• Finance Act 2022 introduces new pensions-related measures
• Cargo bikes a new tax-exempt benefit added under the cycle-to-work program
• Finance Act 2022 introduces new employer benefit reporting obligations

Israel: CMISA Directive standardizes basic health insurance and mandates it as a requisite for acquiring supplemental health insurance

Spain: 2023 Statutory Holidays

Türkiye: Statutory retirement age criteria to be abolished, as announced by the government

United Kingdom:

• Government plans to amend flexible work provisions, and supports a related Private Members’ Bill
• Bill to entitle employees to leave to support dependent with long-term care needs
• Bill to extend the duration of protection from redundancy for employees taking Maternity Leave, Adoption Leave or Shared Parental Leave

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Argentina: Mandatory online telework registry created by Ministry of Labor

Belgium:

• New provisions and employer incentives related to the maximum tax-exempt flat-rate reimbursement for employees’ use of private vehicle for work introduced by
• Transposition of the EU work-life balance Directive introduces new leave, flexible work arrangements, and enhanced employment protection

Denmark: Proposal to ensure that occupational training time counts towards eligibility for early retirement, expected to come into effect 31 December 2022

Finland: Occupational Safety and Health Act to clarifying employers’ duty of care with regard to older employees and those having recently given birth

Ireland:

• Law introduces employer-paid sick leave, effective 1 January 2023
• Women 17 to 25 years of age receive free contraception under new government program

Mexico: Increase in number of employer-paid annual leave days imminent

Portugal: Ordinance increases public sector meal subsidy, which in turn increases the tax and contribution exemption limits for private sector meal benefits

Singapore: Government accepts National Wages Council Guidelines encouraging secure employers to adopt built-in wage increases

New Zealand: Fair Pay Agreements Act adopted

Slovakia: Paternity leave introduced effective 1 November 2022

United Arab Emirates:

• Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization announces entry into force of the Unemployment Insurance Scheme
• 2022 Commemoration Day and National Day holiday dates announced

United Kingdom:

• Legislation repeals the Health and Social Care Levy that was due to come into effect starting 1 April 2023
• Pension regulator warns employers to comply with pension duties

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Brazil: 

• Law introduces limits on use of meal allowances and the Workers’ Food Program
• Telework-related provisional measure converted into law

Belgium:

• Employers must display a dated and signed notice of 2023 statutory holidays in the workplace by 15 December 2022
• Entry into effect of 4-day compressed schedule workweek imminent
• Entry into effect of Alternating workweek schedule pending publication in the official journal of the Labor Deal

China:

• Government incentivizes the development of its third pilar pension plan to support system sustainability
• Data processors and CIIOs have until 1 March 2023 to address non-compliance with outbound data transfer security assessment

European Union: Minimum wage directive adopted

France:

• In another inflation-related change pertaining to meal vouchers, a decree increases the daily cap on their use
• CNIL releases compliance checklist for data controllers implementing or operating health data warehouses
• European Committee of Social Rights decision on the severance pay grid is non-binding
• Tax and social contribution treatment of meal and transport benefits retroactively amended
• AGIRC-ARRCO pension point purchase value increases by 5.12%, while pension point purchase value remains unchanged

Japan: New paternity leave and increased flexibility in the use of existing parental leave come into effect

Italy: INPS Circular provides guidance on managing social contribution exemption entitlements of employees returning from maternity leave

Netherlands: New law simplifies transfer of small pension values and allows for commutations

Poland: Standard workweek to be reduced while maintaining employees’ pay

Singapore: 2023 Statutory Holidays updated by Ministry of Manpower

South Korea: New DC plan investment option rules apply, starting 11 July 2023

Switzerland: Paid statutory adoption leave to start 1 January 2023

United Arab Emirates: Ministerial Resolution increases the annual rate of Emiratization by 2%

United Kingdom: Government reversed tax-related measures of the mini-budget, prior to Prime Minister’s resignation

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Australia: Safe Work Australia releases Code of Practice for managing workplace psychosocial hazards

Belgium:

• Maximum tax-favorable employer-paid allowance to cover work-from home expenses increased
• Conditions for paid educational leave in the Brussels region temporarily relaxed to include remote training
• Saturdays will no longer be considered as a business day, affecting statutory delays, including for termination notices

Canada:

• Ontario employers with 25 or more employees must have a policy on electronic monitoring of employees
• One-time holiday for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral announced by most jurisdictions

China: Jiangsu Province incentivizes employers paying social contributions during employees’ maternity leave

France:

• Short-time work program for COVID-19 vulnerable employees reinstated, starting 1 September 2022
• Tax-favorable ceiling for payments of employees’ personal and childcare expenses increased
• India: Salary forfeiture or employment bond payments are tax-exempt for the employer

Italy:

• Fringe benefit tax-exemption limits more than doubled, and may cover employees’ household utility expenses
• Government approves reference model for tele-medicine services provided in a home setting

Netherlands:

• Applications for changing disability (WGA) and sickness (ZW) own-risk insurance status due before 2 October 2022
• Discounts on premiums of group basic health insurance abolished, as of 1 January 2023
• Work Where You Want Bill reviewed the Senate

Singapore: Ministry of Manpower introduces new measures and increases accountability of companies and their executives for falling short on workplace safety measures

Slovakia: Domestic business trip allowances and meal voucher amounts increase

Switzerland: Women’s statutory retirement age set to increase following national referendum

United Kingdom:

• 19 September 2022 designated as a Bank Holiday
• Reversal of National Insurance contribution increase imminent
• Government’s new mini-budget includes employment and benefits related measures
• OTS call for evidence on tax and social security implications of remote work

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Australia: Government to introduce employer-paid family and domestic violence leave

­Belgium: Labor inspectors further empowered to use “Mystery Calls” to detect discrimination in recruitment practices

­Canada: 

• CAPSA seeks comments on draft ESG Guidelines for pension fund administrators
• Ontario extends employees’ entitlement to COVID-19 Leave

­Costa Rica: New paternity and special leaves introduced

­France:

• New legislation introduces measures to enhance purchasing power
• Inflation induces a third increase in the statutory minimum wage in 2022, starting 1 August
• INRS releases a guide to support employers through the workplace accident assessment process

­Hong Kong: Employers must take precautions against employee heat strokes

­India: New rule permits WFH for IT and ITeS employees in Special Economic Zones

­Italy:

• Criteria for employers to become gender equality certified set by decree
• Further reduction in social contributions and tax exemption of employer welfare plan acquisitions increased

­Japan: iDeCo participation requirements relaxed, DC plan contribution limits change starting 1 October 2022

­Mexico: Government seeks stakeholder feedback on draft telework health and safety rules

­United Kingdom:

• Bill to introduce a statutory Neonatal Care Leave under review by the House of Commons
• Health and Safety Executive requests that heat conditions be included in workplace risk assessments and employers’ long-term planning
• Government publishes guidance on workers’ status

­Spain:  New law amends the pension plan regulations to promote and strengthen occupational plans