France
In June 2026, Argentina, British Columbia (Canada), France and Luxembourg increased their minimum wage rates.
The statutory national minimum wage (smic) has increased with effect from 1 June 2026. In addition, a new section has been added on benefits in kind, covering what they are, their tax and social security treatment and how they are valued.
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.
The EU Pay Transparency Directive (2023/970) is moving towards domestic implementation, but despite an initial draft and consultation, the Government is not expected to introduce a Bill to parliament before September 2026.
As of March 2026, only a few member states have adopted binding measures to comply with the EU Pay Transparency Directive. In France, employers with 1,000 employees must publish gender representation data for senior managers and board members and meet a minimum 30% representation of each gender from 1 March 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.
Updated to include new information on the "reconversion period" scheme, outlining eligibility, duration, funding and contract arrangements for employee training from February 2026.
Updated to reflect the maximum daily statutory maternity benefit for 2026 and a change to the entitlement to paid time off to attend interviews for adoption authorisation.
HR and legal information and guidance relating to France.