Welcome to the latest edition of our International Employment newsletter – designed to ensure that those of you dealing with HR at an international level in 2021, are up to date on the most important and meaningful changes to employment laws in some of the key business nations globally.

As 2021 begins, we are sure that wherever in the world you may be located, you will unite with us in hoping that 2021 will bring better fortunes than last year. As Covid-19 vaccine programmes start to be rolled out and infection levels in certain parts of the world start to stabilise or fall, we are certainly seeing glimmers of hope.

Whilst it is all too easy to see the negative impact of Covid-19, many of the articles in this edition focus on some of the legislative measures which have been put in place in response to Covid-19, to assist both employers and employees dealing with the challenges of Covid-19. Ranging from temporary “bans” on dismissals, through to flexible working arrangements and even a Chinese scheme which facilitates the sharing of employees between organisations, these are all positive measures, designed to help ease the burden of the current crisis. Moreover, the impact of Covid-19 on working arrangements has also forced governments and authorities to actually implement new legislation which is beneficial to both employees and employers, that may otherwise have taken years to come to fruition.

In addition to Covid-19 related articles, this edition highlights many other important changes that are likely to affect the HR landscape this year. As diverse as these articles are, one theme that resonates across many of the contributions, is the introduction of new measures aimed at promoting or improving employee welfare. Be this in terms of Health and Safety; family-friendly rights, or even increased service incentive leave in The Philippines. It is refreshing to see that employee welfare remains top of the legislative agenda in many countries.

If you wish to discuss an employment law issue in one of the countries you are responsible for, or the practical effect of one of the more recent changes to your business, please do not hesitate to contact us or your usual contact at Taylor Vinters, or ask about what extra value we can provide you through our international ONE model.

Our thanks go to all of those who contributed to this special edition.

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