Belgium
In June 2026, Argentina, British Columbia (Canada), France and Luxembourg increased their minimum wage rates.
New proposed pay transparency requirements for employers and obligations to record working time have been introduced. In addition, the enhanced leave rights for close caregivers will come into effect from 1 July 2026, and the new wide-ranging labour market flexibility measures should come into effect from 1 June 2026.
Belgium has expanded voluntary overtime and introduced more favourable tax and social security treatment for certain overtime pay.
In May 2026, Turkey doubled the length of paternity leave from five to 10 days. In France, for children born on or after 1 January 2026, each parent (including mothers) is entitled to two months of supplementary birth leave, available from 1 July 2026.
In Turkey, maternity leave was extended from 16 to 24 weeks from 1 May 2026. In France, for children born on or after 1 January 2026, each parent (including mothers) is entitled to two months of supplementary birth leave, available from 1 July 2026.
Enhanced to include new information on India.
Updated to include new information on temporary employment agency work in Germany.
In April 2026, there have been important developments to gender pay gap reporting rules around the world. In Japan, there are additional gender pay gap disclosure obligations. In Australia, relevant private-sector employers must choose and declare their targets between 1 April and 31 May 2026. In the UK, employers with 250+ employees may produce and publish a voluntary action plan alongside their gender pay gap data.
Changes to the pay indexation scheme and national minimum wage have been introduced, with plans to limit index-linked pay for higher earners and raise the minimum wage rate from 1 April 2026.
Updated to include additional information on leave requirements in Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Switzerland, UAE, UK and US.
HR and legal information and guidance relating to Belgium.