The Australian government recently announced that the existing government-paid primary caregiver parental leave and partners leave will be combined into a single 20 week leave available to, and shareable between, both parents starting from 1 July 2023. Once combined, the parental leave will increase by an additional 2 weeks every year from 1 July 2024 until it reaches 26 weeks on 1 July 2026.
The British government recently announced that the national hourly minimum living wage for all workers aged 23 and above will increase from GBP 9.50 to GBP 10.42 beginning 1 April 2023.
The Mexican National Commission on Minimum Wages has recently approved a significant increase to the national minimum wage. The new wage increase of 20% will be effective on 1 January 2023.
The Belgium government recently passed new legislation transposing the European Union (EU) Directive 2019/1158 on work-life balance for parents and carers into local law. The new rule, which introduces unpaid carer’s leave, entered into effect on 7 October 2022.
The Romanian government recently passed new legislation enacting the European Union (EU) Directive 2019/1158 on work-life balance for parents and carers into local law. The new rules amend requirements for paternity leave, carer’s leave, family emergency leave, and flexible work schedules.
Beginning last November, the Canadian government introduced legislation to amend the Canada Labour Code. The amendments are scheduled to come into force on 1 December 2022 and will entitle federally regulated private sector employees with up to 10 days of paid medical leave per calendar year.
The Australian government recently passed an amendment bill to provide employees with 10 days of employer-paid family and domestic violence leave. The Fair Work Amendment Bill 2022 was introduced on 28 July 2022, by the Australian Labor Party following the May 2022 federal election.
The Belgium government recently agreed on introducing a series of reforms aimed at boosting private sector employees’ work-life balance. The most notable changes include the option for employees to ask their employers for a four-day workweek as well as the right to disconnect. Once a draft bill outlining and explaining the new measures is introduced, it will enter into effect after it is passed by the Belgium parliament. This process will likely take months and may alter current provisions.
The Irish government recently passed the Sick Leave Act 2022 to provide all employees with up to 10 days of employer-paid sick leave. The Act enters into effect on 1 January 2023, and its implementation is phased over a four-year period from 2023 to 2026.
The government of Israel recently introduced a health insurance reform establishing a comprehensive Private Medical Insurance framework that creates a uniform structure for basic health policy. The new circular is expected to come into effect on 1 February 2023.