Italy
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.
Italy transposed the EU Pay Transparency Directive into national law.
New rules apply in regard to pay transparency in recruitment, requiring employers to inform applicants of the starting salary or pay range and prohibiting any requests for candidates’ current or previous salary information.
New rules apply in regard to pay criteria, right to request information on pay levels, confidentiality clauses, the assessment of same work and work of equal value, gender pay gap reporting and joint pay assessments.
As of June 2026, only a small number of member states have fully transposed the EU Pay Transparency Directive. The pay reporting obligation will be introduced on a phased basis, starting with larger employers and gradually extending to those with more than 100 employees.
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.
HR practices and employment law in Italy.