On your radar | Issue 33

In this edition of On your radar, several countries highlight the development of family-friendly leave.  France has introduced a new right to additional birth leave for parents, while Mauritius has proposed extending maternity leave to twelve months, and paid paternity leave to six weeks. Türkiye has also increased both maternity and paternity leave entitlements. Norway is consulting on changes to parental leave and other family-friendly arrangements as part of a wider policy response to falling birth rates.

Employment status, atypical working arrangements and the platform economy also feature prominently. Sweden and the Czech Republic are transposing the EU Platform Work Directive, while Switzerland’s Federal Supreme Court has reclassified a consulting agreement as an employment relationship based on the reality of the working arrangement. In Brazil, the Supreme Federal Court’s ongoing review of independent contractor and “PJ” arrangements continues to create uncertainty for employers, until there is a final ruling.  In Germany, reform of the German Pension Insurance’s “status determination procedure” is pending, covering freelancers and employees.

Workforce mobility is another recurring theme. Hungary has stopped accepting new guest worker residence permit applications, Croatia has introduced stricter conditions for obtaining residence and work permits, and South Africa is discussing a Bill that would create a new framework for regulating foreign nationals, including strict conditions for their employment.

Finally, with the 7 June 2026 deadline for transposing the EU Pay Transparency Directive now passed, many EU jurisdictions are focusing on their national plans for pay transparency.