• Recent research shows how post pandemic organisation of work may respond to employees preferred working arrangements and how this affects productivity
• The hybrid model of both remote and office work emerged as the desired work arrangement
• Only certain occupations and tasks are able to be conducted in this way. Important differences among countries are showcased.

• The strategy aims at having a sustainable working life, together with safety at work and respect for laws.
• It echoes the European Pillar of Social Rights and the EU strategic framework on health and safety at work.

• Following an OECD report from January 2021, private employment agencies’ managers and employment experts recall the importance of career guidance.
• Career guidance must gain visibility but also be improved through subsidies and more effective services.

• The law and its implementing Regulation were strongly criticised by Argentinian social partners, mainly for the poor quality of prior consultation, that failed to take into account the input of the social partners, specially the comments introduced by the private sector. 
• The main issues concern the difficulty of implementation of the clauses of reversibility, right to disconnect, employees with special care responsibilities and contracts for non-residents.

• Violation of this law entails the transfer to another type of work or, if this is not possible, the suspension from tasks or duties that involve interpersonal contacts and the risk to spread the virus.

• It introduced Flexibility in the sanctioning of infringements, among others;
• The reform lacked proper consultation with the social partners, especially on the content of the regulatory Decrees.

• Employees that get Covid-19 vaccination have a justified leave of 4 hours from work

• The new legislative framework is in line with the ILO Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, as established in several trade agreements signed by Viet Nam;
• New laws and policies put greater emphasis on social dialogue at the workplace and collective bargaining.

• Social partners recently confirmed the joint recommendations signed in December 2019 on collective dismissals and agreed to assess their content again within three years
• The Government communicated its desire to evaluate an improvement of the entire system, thus overriding the social dialogue outcome.

• On 6 April 2021 Italian social partners and the government signed an agreement on a company vaccination plan.
• It is the first tripartite agreement of this type.

• The International Organisation of Employers (IOE) has contributed a publication for an international comparative guide.
• The chapter provides an overview of the development of International Labour Standards (ILS), including the processes of standard-setting, ratification, and supervisory procedures at the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

• Summary of the legal basis and role of this ILO organ
• Relevant cases examined in the March 2021 session dealt with essential services during strike action and the violation of trade union rights

• At the end of the GFMD 2021 Summit, the winner of the IOE-Seedstars Migration challenge was proclaimed: it is the tech start-up DignifAI, providing concrete support to the employment of migrant population in the Colombian-Venezuelan and Brazilian-Venezuelan borders.
• A new migration challenge for 2022 was just launched

• The European Commission started consulting social partners with a view to possibly undertake action “to address the challenges related to working conditions in the platform work”.
• The World Employment Confederation-Europe and BUSINESSEUROPE submitted their views and asked the EU Commission to refrain from using a one-size-fits all approach to regulation of platform work at the EU level.

• Mandatory vaccination policies continue to be a heavily debated topic amongst Canadian employers

• The Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI) periodically updates the state of play of national reforms and the related business’ recommendations
• The plan considers topics such as labour law, social security law, trade union law, SMEs easiness of doing business, among others
• FEI advocacy plan has been successful in a series of reforms, especially on trade and investments

• Jobseekers in the Italian Region Veneto are supported with an allowance of a maximum amount of EUR 5.796
• So far the measure has supported 52,775 unemployed persons
• It is a form of successful collaboration between public and private employment services

• The classification of platform workers is unclear in the Netherlands, despite recent Court decisions and a report from the Labour Inspectorate
• Recently, an advisory bipartite Committee highlighted the “need for a political and policy response in the short term to this discussion”

• The long-standing case of Uber and others v. Aslam and others (2016) was finally settled by the UK Supreme Court that confirmed the views of the lower Courts stating Uber’s drivers status of “workers” within the UK legal system
• The Supreme Court also determined what must be considered as working time for a Uber driver

• The Australian Parliament adopted a Bill that defines a casual worker as someone offered work without commitment of continuing and indefinite work.
• The Bill sheds light on the possibility to convert the casual work contract into a long-term full or part-time employment relationship.
• The Law also clarifies employers’ economic responsibility in case a casual worker is later on recognised as an employee.

• The Comprehensive Labor Policy Promotion Act (CLPPA) (No. 24 of 2019 (Reiwa)) aims at eliminating sexual harassment, harassment against women and workplace bullying (known as “power harassment” in Japan)
• This Act requires companies to put in place a policy to prevent harassment in the workplace, including taking measures to avoid recurrences
• Failing to comply with this Law entails reputational risks, as companies’ names may be disclosed

The Filipino House of Representatives approved a series of Bills related to the pandemic and having important repercussions on employers

• State Duma of Russian Federation adopted amendments to the Labour Code in December 2020
• The new legislation contains rules on employers’ and employees’ obligations in case of telework, as well as new regulation on the use of the electronic signature

• In January 2021 Belgian social partners signed a framework agreement on methods of work, working conditions and occupational health and safety for employees working from remote
• The agreement leaves room to further agreements at the company level or specific individual agreement

• In Vietnam, labour laws, policies and practices are going through significant changes. A new labour code entered into force in January 2021
• New policies put greater emphasis on social dialogue at the workplace, collective bargaining and diversified types of Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs)

• The GFMD 2021 Summit dealt with the topic of “The future of human mobility: innovative partnerships for sustainable development”

• The representative of employers, the Business Advisory Group on Migration, presented a series of six recommendations, including enhanced public-private cooperation, improved legal pathways for employment and better leveraging of technology

• The database on up-to-2020 collective bargaining processes for wage-setting and minimum wages on 56 OECD/non- OECD countries was released
• The database provides comparable data on trade union and employers’ organisations density as well as on the role played by these actors in each collective bargaining system

• In February 2021, the European Labour Authority (ELA) announced to be fully operational to conduct concerted and joint labour inspections
• A set of simplified standard procedures for national authorities and social partners on how to initiate and follow-up cross-border inspections was issued

• In the complaint filed by trade unions, the Court ordered the company to modify its algorithm as to avoid any type of discrimination, give publicity to the decision, and to pay damages for an amount of EUR50,000

• The Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI) launched new services for improving digital skills of SMEs
• It also started offering support to companies willing to participate in the rehabilitation of Egyptian villages

• The taskforce was launched at the end of 2019 to explore the potential of blockchain solutions to the private employment services industry.
• At the end of 2020 it joined the Velocity Network Foundation, a consortium that seeks to use blockchain technology to build an ‘Internet of Careers™’.

• The largest free-trade area in the world was launched on January 2021 after only 5 years from the beginning of negotiations
• The agreement is expected to favour investments, decrease poverty and increase jobs

• The Costa Rican Union of Chambers and Associations of the Private Business Sector (UCCAEP) promotes the economic recovery
• UCCAEP advocates for the approval of the loan from the IMF, to be accompanied by measures that allow for economic recovery, support for the private sector, job creation and a reduction of informality levels

• On 15 January 2021, the Irish Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment published its National Remote Work Strategy, called ‘Making Remote Work’.
• The strategy aims at ensuring that “remote working is a permanent feature in the Irish workplace in a way that maximises economic, social and environmental benefits”.

• The free movement of persons between countries of the European Union and the UK ended on 31 December 2020. Complex rules and visa permit requirements apply. 
• The automatic mutual recognition of professional qualifications is no longer a reality. 

• The Resolution contains specific recommendations on the scope and content of a Directive
• The right to disconnect is defined as “the right for workers to switch off their digital tools including means of communication for work purposes outside their working time without facing consequences for not replying to e-mails, phone calls or text messages”.

• Following allegation of corruption in a public health insurance company, a bipartite institution requested the Government to halt the annual increase on the health contribution;
• It also requested the Government for the suspension in the rise of social security contributions. 

• The Singaporean government and social partners work together to build an ecosystem of support for mental wellness.
• The recommendations are built around three pillars: individual, team and organisational level.

• Based on four drivers (informality, private sector growth, creating opportunities and digital transformation), the report puts forward a series of policy recommendations for sustained job recovery

• The International Labour Organisation, Bureau for Employers’ Activities (ACT/EMP) recently released a publication on the role played by the employers and business membership organizations (EBMOs) in the Covid-19 pandemic where EBMOs have demonstrated agility, resilience and the ability to innovate.
• It also focuses on the way ahead and the services EBMOs will have to reinforce and ideas for concrete actions.