Global Labour Law Updates: What Employers and Workers Need to Know

10 July 2026

Global Labour Law Updates for 22 Countries

WageIndicator has fully updated the Labour Laws Country Profiles for 22 countries:

Portuguese Africa: Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde and Mozambique

Ukraine and Russian Countries: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Russian Federation and Ukraine

American Countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Peru

Employment Law Updates in Argentina: Sweeping labour reform

Law 27802 on Labour Modernization was officially enacted on March 6, 2026. Some of the amendments are as follows:

• Tips and social benefits are officially classified as non-remunerative. Overtime can now be compensated via a "bank of hours" or time-off systems. Vacation rules allow more flexibility to split or take leave outside the traditional summer period.
• Registration of workers is streamlined digitally through ARCA, and joint liability in subcontracting is limited. For severances, the calculation base now explicitly excludes non-monthly payments like annual bonuses (Aguinaldo), and Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) are permitted to replace traditional severance with a custom termination fund.
• A new employer-funded pool has been established to help cover termination payments. Large companies contribute 1%, while Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) contribute 2.5%.
• Stricter rules dictate that union assemblies cannot disrupt normal operations, and workers will not receive wages for strike days. Blockades, intimidation, and workplace occupations are now legally classified as very serious offenses.
• Delivery and transport platform workers are formally defined as independent contractors. While they maintain complete freedom to log on, log off, or reject tasks, the law guarantees them rights to data portability, accident insurance, full tips, and clear explanations for account suspensions.

Workplace Law Updates in Azerbaijan: Paid paternity leave

• Fathers are now entitled to 14 calendar days of paid paternity leave around childbirth. Earlier these leave days were unpaid.
• The pre-natal portion of paid maternity leave is extended by the number of days between the expected date of childbirth and the actual date of birth, without reducing the post-natal leave allowance.
• Following a Constitutional Court decision on February 18, 2026, employees are now entitled to receive compensation for all accumulated unused additional leave (educational, creative, social, etc.) upon the termination of an employment contract, rather than just the main annual leave.
• If a public holiday, national day of mourning, or voting day falls during an employee's annual leave, those days are not counted as part of the leave duration and are not paid; the leave period is extended accordingly.
• A new legal category has been introduced for employees whose ability to work or be promoted is restricted due to the need to care for family members (spouse, parents, children, or dependents) based on medical opinion. Employers must consider these needs when assigning shift or night work; providing support to these employees is explicitly not considered discrimination.

Labour Law updates in Belarus: Tough action on unpaid wages

• Under Decree No. 45 (2026), the Labour Inspectorate now has the authority to issue binding orders to employers who fail to pay wages on time.
• Family capital is updated to 35,505 Belarusian rubles for 2026. Pension calculations will now look at adjusted earnings across the last 30 consecutive years of service.

Workplace Law updates in Brazil: Paternity Leave set to expand

• Paternity Leave Escalation: Stays at 5 days through December 2026, but will gradually scale up to 10 days in 2027, 15 days in 2028, and max out at 20 days by 2029.

Labour Law News in Chile: Pension system overhaul

Following are the updates regarding Chile's 2025 Pension Reform and Digital Platform Regulations:

• Pension Contribution Increase: Introduces a new 7% employer pension contribution (bringing the total to approximately 8.5% with insurance). This new contribution is split, with 4.5% going to individual worker accounts and 4% funding a new social security pension system.
• Expanded Pension Benefits: Increases the Universal Guaranteed Pension and adds new protections, including compensation for women to balance longer life expectancies, benefits based on years contributed, and a protected return contribution.
• Effective Date and AFP Changes: Covers workers with current, new, or resumed contracts starting August 1, 2025, while modifying the current pension administrator (AFP) system to allow new operators and affiliate bidding.
• Digital Platform Work (Law 21.431): Regulates both dependent and independent digital service platform workers, establishing formal rules for contracts, compensation, social security, collective bargaining rights, and a mandatory right to disconnect.

Employment Law Updates in Colombia: New rules for AI and platform work

Following are the updates introduced by Colombia's Law 2466 (June 2025):

• Workplace Flexibility: Caregivers of persons with disabilities can request flexible, hybrid, or remote working hours.
• Anti-Discrimination and Protections: Expands protections against discrimination (based on gender, race, beliefs, and health), protects pregnant workers from heavy physical labour, and tightens working-hour limits for minors.
• Teleworking Framework: Outlines five distinct types of telework and replaces the transport allowance with a connectivity allowance for workers earning less than two minimum wages. Employers must also provide training and cover social security and occupational risks.
• Platform Work Regulations: Defines digital delivery platform workers (allowing either employee or independent status), bans exclusivity clauses for independents, and mandates quarterly reporting to the Ministry of Labour.
• AI and Automation: Implements a public policy protecting labor against automation and guarantees platform workers transparency and the right to human review over automated decisions.

Labour Law News in El Salvador: Annual worker bonus created

• Legislative Decree No. 499 establishes the "Special Law Quincena 25," creating a non-taxable annual bonus equal to 50% of a monthly salary for workers earning $1,500 or less, which is voluntary for the private sector in 2026 and mandatory for all sectors starting in 2027.

Labour Law Changes in Mexico: 40-hour workweek in progress

• The reduction of the workweek in Mexico from 48 to 40 hours, officially published on March 3, 2026, establishes a gradual decrease (2 hours per year) to reach the goal by 2030.
• New rules on remote work and digital platform work are added. Employers must cover remote work costs, respect digital disconnection, and ensure health and safety for home-based workers. Digital platform workers are now treated as employees, meaning platforms must register them with IMSS, provide labour benefits, pay them weekly, record working hours, and avoid false self-employment. The update also adds new tax and compliance duties for platforms, including SAT access, ISR withholding, VAT obligations, fines, and possible blocking for non-compliance.

Nicaragua Labour Laws updated: More maternity leave and public holidays

• Public holidays have been increased from 10 to 14 national holidays per year.
• The postnatal leave period for Nicaraguan workers covered under the social security system from eight (8) to nine (9) weeks. Mothers are now entitled to 13 weeks of paid leave (4 weeks before the expected birth and 9 weeks after)

Paraguay Labour Laws updated: Anti-harassment protocols mandatory

• New Protocol Against Violence and Harassment is issued by The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (MTESS). Resolution No. 195/2026 states that all companies in the private sector must have clear guidelines to prevent, investigate, and respond to situations of workplace violence and harassment.

New Labour Law in Peru: Telework rights strengthened

• Law No. 31572 on Teleworking is added. This law governs remote work in the public and private sectors, prioritising voluntariness, reversibility, and equal rights with in-person work. Key aspects include the right to digital disconnection, reimbursement for internet and electricity expenses, and the employer's obligation to provide equipment.

Labour Law change in Russia: New limits on bonus deductions

• Employers can establish local bonus structures, but reducing a bonus due to a disciplinary sanction can only affect that specific bonus period and cannot reduce the worker's overall monthly wage by more than 20%.

Ukraine Labour Law updates: Stronger worker and family updates

• Dual-education work contract blending active employment is introduced, with workplace learning, strictly capped at the length of the student's studies.
• Family support structures include a comprehensive modern list of state assistance (like the "eNursery" digital support system) and increases the one-off childbirth allowance to 50,000 Ukrainian hryvnias.
• Domestic workers are given the right to refuse hazardous labor. For workplace injuries, employers have a four-month window to provide reasonable accommodations and reintegrate disabled employees back into the workforce.