Global Legislative Update, March 2026
March 11, 2026
The Global Legislative Update for March 2026 provides insights from Mercer consultants around the globe about key legal developments affecting employers’ benefit and human resource programs in various countries. Here are highlights from the latest issue.
Global
- Artificial intelligence roundup: Global employer resources (updated)
- Minimum wage rates roundup: Global employer resources (updated)
- Remote working roundup: Global employer resources (updated)
- Reproductive rights roundup: Global employer resources (updated)
- Right to disconnect roundup: Global employer resources (updated)
Americas
- Argentina: Labor modernization bill advances in Parliament
- Canada: Minimum wage to increase in British Columbia
- Colombia: Special pension regime for high-risk occupations extended
- Dominican Republic: Minimum wage increased
- Mexico: Unit of measure used to determine penalties for labor and employment breaches updated
- United States: Rules to determine employee or independent contractor proposed
AsiaPac
- Australia: Larger employers must select and report against gender targets
- China: Trial version of National Long-term care insurance catalog issued
- Hong Kong: Minimum wage to increase
- India: Explanatory handbook on new labor codes issued
- Japan: New gender reporting disclosures required
- New Zealand: Employment relations framework modernized
- Singapore: Minimum salary requirements for foreign work passes to increase
- South Korea: Supreme Court ruling confirms management performance pay is not considered wages for severance pay calculation
- Taiwan: Visa and immigration rules for certain foreign workers eased
- Vietnam: Maternity, paternity leaves to increase
EMEA
- European Union: Sustainability reporting and due diligence simplification measures agreed upon
- Belgium: Tax reforms include cap on benefits-in-kind value
- France: Gender quotas for senior executives, management teams imposed
- Italy: Flexibility of parental leave entitlement increased
- Jersey, Channel Islands: Minimum wage to increase
- Isle of Man: Minimum wage to increase
- Mauritius: Minimum wage increased
- Morocco: Tax increased on workers’ compensation to insurance products, services
- Portugal: Partial tax exemption scheme for bonus payments introduced
- Romania: Private pension framework from 2027 revised
- South Africa: Law changed to allow enforcement of employers’ timely contributions to benefit funds
- United Arab Emirates: Minimum salary for Emirati nationals increased
- United Kingdom: Draft legislation in response to Virgin Media legal decision issued
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