United Arab Emirates
Employment legislation provides for positive discrimination in favour of UAE nationals. Mainland UAE employers must increase skilled UAE national employment by 1% every six months to reach a 10% quota by the end of 2026. Healthcare employers must ensure that 50% of new Emirati hires are in specialised roles, with compliance monitoring due to begin in 2027.
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.
Sweeping changes to the Wage Protection Scheme came into effect on 1 June 2026, creating significant new obligations for UAE based employers.
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.
In response to the conflict in the Middle East, current government guidance does not mandate alternative working arrangements but it is good practice for businesses to be mindful of the current circumstances and the impact on employees and their families, and to be flexible wherever possible.
Updated to reflect the minimum monthly wage for UAE nationals to count as part of the NAFIS scheme, effective from 1 January 2026.
HR and legal information and guidance relating to the United Arab Emirates.