Youth skills on the agenda

Young people were disproportionately affected by the pandemic, and many are still paying the price, whether in or out of work. It is hoped that a renewed focus on skills will help equip more to catch up and to thrive. Young people’s work prospects were hit particularly hard during the pandemic. Lockdowns, business closures and hiring freezes made finding a job difficult, and, in many…

The EU Platform Workers Directive: a further step forward

The European Council has agreed its position on the long-awaited Platform Workers Directive. Here we explain what has been agreed, who will count as a platform, and the way ahead. The Platform Workers Directive just inched closer towards being adopted by the EU. This article looks at how the Directive is shaping up as it nears its final stages. ‘Laws are like sausages, it is…

Promoting and protecting LGBTQI+ diversity in the workplace

17 May was the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia established in 2007 by the European Union. The chosen date commemorates 17 May 1990, the day on which the WHO removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses, declaring it ‘a natural variation of human behaviour’.    The topic concerns labour law, due to the legal ban ondiscrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identityboth during the hiring process…

AI and global mobility practice

The pandemic has driven a paradigm shift in the world of global mobility. The sudden and widespread roll-out of technology to support remote working showed employees new possibilities for ‘working from everywhere’, and has driven demand for new kinds of flexibility that, until recently, could scarcely have been imagined. AI now promises to bring a fresh round of disruption to global mobility practice. Global mobility…

Can AI set the perfect salary?

Artificial intelligence and machine learning could become key partners in salary management decisions. Figuring out the ‘perfect salary’ is just one way we may be able to empower AI in compensation and benefits decisions. Employers should not miss the opportunity to involve AI both in their salary decisions, and in complying with pay reporting requirements. AI and salary: the possible connections Determining the most appropriate…

ECJ rules data subjects entitled to know of recipients

The decision clarifies the scope of the Data Subject Access Request under the GDPR. The ECJ decided the previously open question of how much detail the employer must provide about the recipients or groups of recipients of the personal data upon request.   The right to information under data protection law Under Article 15 of the GDPR, the data controller (in the employment context, usually the…

Employee entitlements on an employer’s insolvency

If an employer finds itself in financial difficulties that involve liquidation or restructuring, employee entitlements could be at risk. Compulsory insurance schemes in some jurisdictions can provide employees with important guarantees. When a company faces financial difficulties and enters a court-supervised liquidation or rescue procedure, employees may worry that not just their jobs but also their accrued entitlements are at risk. Some jurisdictions seek to…

GDPR: five years on

For those  impacted by the EU General Data Protection Regulation, known as the GDPR since its entry into operation across the bloc on 25 May 2018, it’s quite something to think that the legislation has been with us for five years today. So what has gone well and what has gone less well? One of the main purposes of the legislation was to get the…

Hong Kong pensions update

Over the past weeks, there has been some important news on the pension regime in Hong Kong that employers and employees should be mindful of. Abolition of the offsetting mechanism from 1 May 2025 As we noted in our  last article,  the Hong Kong Legislative Council haspassed legislation abolishing the MandatoryProvidentFund (‘MPF’)offsetting mechanism. At a Labour Day reception held on 28 April 2023, the Chief…

Generative AI in the workplace: time for a cyber-supervisor?

The launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 brought generative AI technology firmly into mainstream consciousness, astonishing us with its ability to generate human-like answers at the click of a button. Its potential is enormous, but how can this technology be harnessed in the world of work? The self-stated goal of ChatGPT is ‘to provide a more natural and efficient way of communicating with computers and…