Work/Life: international employment news update

Issue 65

Welcome to the latest edition of our international employment news update.

Law on women's protection to be revised in China for the first time in nearly 30 years

China's parliament is set to revise legislation on women's protection following increased public activism on the diminishing of women's rights due to views on "traditional" women's roles. Employers will be responsible for the violation of women's labour and social security rights.

Gender equality: additional measures binding large companies in France

In accordance with the Rixain law, by 1 March 2026 large companies in France with at least 1,000 employees will need to achieve a balanced representation of women and men among directors and members of the board (at least 30%) as well as calculate and publish any gender representation gaps on a yearly basis. The aim is to promote greater equality between men and women in large companies.

This target percentage will be increased to 40% representation as of 1 March 2029 with failure to comply resulting in financial penalties.

New York law makes disclosure of salaries mandatory

The Commission on Human Rights now requires employers in New York to disclose “a good faith salary range for every job, promotion, and transfer opportunity advertised”. The new law aims to help both employees and employers by combating pay disparities and minimising employer liability.

Class pay gap stands at 13% in the UK

Research has revealed that working class employees are paid 13% less than those from well-off backgrounds despite doing the same job. The Social Mobility Foundation has found that employees from a working class background face a "double disadvantage" when gender and ethnic differences are also considered.

Pressure has been put on the government to introduce a register for class pay gap reporting just like there is for the gender pay gap.

Netherlands' gender wage gap only decreasing among government employees

The wage gap between men and women who work for the government has decreased a bit, though men still earn more. In the business sector, the salary difference remained the same as two years ago. The gender wage gap in the Netherlands now shows that women employed by the government have come closer to their male colleagues. However, their average hourly wage is still 2 euros per hour less than men.

Employees at Czech national bank give ground on baked-in pay inflation

Czech National Bank employees have agreed to give up previous contracts which would have meant increased salaries of 18.3% this year and 11.6% in 2023. The new deal amid inflation battles, means wages will rise by 8% this year and 4.5% next year.

Virtual job interviews could soon be the new reality

Technology companies in the UK are working on developments using AI that could see job interviews being conducted in virtual reality in order to benefit candidates from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

AI software has also been developed to avoid bias in recruitment processes by enabling computers to carry out initial job interviews which eliminates assumptions being made based on appearance. For more on the metaverse, look here.

Twitter takeover leads to mass job cuts

Following Elon Musk's $44 billion Twitter takeover, mass job cuts have been made at the social media platform in an attempt to reduce the global workforce. More than 90% of Twitter's staff in India have been laid off, the company is facing a class-action lawsuit in Japan for failing to provide sufficient notice prior to firings [Following mass Twitter Japan firings, some call for legal action | The Japan Times] and it has laid off nearly of its staff in its Ghana office, the company's only office in Africa.

It is estimated that the workforce has reduced by as much as 50%. Those that remain have been told that they must be in the office for at least 40 hours per week and remote working is banned unless approved by Musk.

Planned reform of German immigration law

The German government plans to simplify immigration rules for qualified workers from non-EU countries to counteract the worsening shortage of skilled workers in Germany which is due to the ageing population. Individuals who do not yet possess a regular work permit in Germany will be given the opportunity of a temporary trial work period via an "opportunity card", which is awarded using a point system consisting of categories such as qualification, language skills and professional experience.

UK retirees going back to work as a result of cost-of-living crisis

Since September, there has been an 8% increase in job applications and this is partly due to retirees entering back into the workforce. With talks of a looming recession, the cost-of-living crisis and rising inflation, many are coming out of early retirement for reasons of financial sustainability.