France
Several countries changed their minimum wage rates on 1 July 2026 including Argentina, Australia, Netherlands and Romania. In the US, there were a number of minimum wage increases.
In Ireland, from 29 June 2026, employees may seek to continue working beyond a contractual retirement age below the state pension age, with employers only able to refuse on objectively justified grounds.
The second draft of the pay transparency legislation changes the proposed rules on employee pay information rights, gender pay gap reporting indicators, the legislative timetable and the expected 1 January 2028 implementation date.
New and revised rights have been added on disability-related individualised working time arrangements, shorter notice for parental presence leave, extended dismissal protection after that leave, and longer leave for family circumstances where an employee’s child has a disability, cancer or a serious chronic illness.
The table has been updated to reflect key 2026 developments in statutory annual leave across jurisdictions.
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.
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 new information on the "reconversion period" scheme, outlining eligibility, duration, funding and contract arrangements for employee training from February 2026.
HR practices and employment law in France.