Germany
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 table has been updated to reflect key 2026 developments in statutory annual leave across jurisdictions.
Updated to include additional information on temporary employment agency work in Argentina and Netherlands.
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.
Proposed changes to rules on benefits in kind aim to mitigate the effects of the Iran conflict.
As the federal government has not published a draft Bill to implement the EU Pay Transparency Directive, Germany did not meet the 7 June 2026 transposition deadline. This has practical implications for employers.
Although the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs can make a sectoral collective agreement binding as a minimum wage floor for temporary agency work, no new statutory order is currently in force. Information has been added to clarify the relevant rules.
Updated to include additional information on paid educational leave for employees to attend training organised by themselves and the reimbursement of training costs.
HR practices and employment law in Germany.