South Korea
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.
Proposed changes would expand paternity and childcare leave rights, including new leave for spousal miscarriage or stillbirth, from 18 September 2026.
South Korea’s Supreme Court has ruled on what constitutes “wages”. Profit-sharing incentive linked to Economic Value Added does not constitute wages, while a productivity incentive linked to employees’ work performance does.
South Korea has amended its rules on public holidays to include Labour Day, on 1 May, as a public holiday under the Presidential Decree on Public Holidays for Government Offices.
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 South Korea.