Regulatory updates
for Global Employers

Sweden has proposed a new Platform Work Act to implement the EU Platform Work Directive, introducing a presumption of employment where platform workers are subject to direction and control. The draft also includes transparency requirements for algorithmic management and automated decision-making affecting workers. The proposal is under consultation and intended to meet the EU implementation deadline of December 2026.

The UK-India Double Contributions Convention takes effect alongside the wider trade agreement, ending double social security contributions for detached workers on temporary assignments between the two countries. Eligible employees can remain in their home system for up to 60 months with a Certificate of Coverage.

The Fair Work Commission is lifting the national minimum wage by 6% to AUD 1004.90/week, with modern award rates rising 4.75%, affecting roughly 2.8 million employees.

The Wet VBAR is expected to enter force, codifying Dutch case law on employment relationships and introducing a legal presumption of employee status for contractors earning below EUR 36/hour. Still requires final parliamentary passage.

Several U.S. states including Oregon, the District of Columbia, Maryland (small employers), Nevada, and Connecticut, as well as major cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Berkeley, and Emeryville, have scheduled annual cost-of-living-indexed minimum wage increases effective 1 July 2026. These adjustments reflect statutory CPI indexation and mean higher local minimum wage obligations in affected jurisdictions while the federal rate remains USD 7.25. Employers with workers in these states and cities should anticipate revised wage tables effective from July 1, 2026.

The Ministry of Health has proposed raising the standard social assistance and social pension allowance from 500,000 VND to 600,000 VND per month, a 20% increase, to better align with current living costs. This adjustment aims to enhance support for social protection beneficiaries and is expected to take effect on July 1, 2026. Employers should anticipate potential impacts on payroll and benefits planning for employees eligible for these allowances.

Under the Data (Use and Access) Act, employees can now complain directly to employers about how their personal data is handled, rather than going straight to the ICO. Employers must acknowledge complaints within 30 days and resolve them without undue delay.

Draft decrees would formally bar fully-automated AI decisions on hiring, dismissal, and discipline; a human must always remain accountable. Still subject to parliamentary review before adoption.

The government confirmed it missed the 7 June deadline to transpose the EU Gender Pay Transparency Directive. Legislation isn't expected before early 2027, and core employer duties, including pay reporting and the individual right to pay data, won't apply until June 2028.

Germany is set to implement the EU Pay Transparency Directive by 7 June 2026, introducing obligations for employers to disclose salary information in job postings and provide pay-related data to employees. The directive aims to enhance pay transparency and address the gender pay gap across the EU. Employers should prepare for compliance by reviewing and adjusting their pay structures and recruitment processes accordingly.