Every payroll professional with multi-country payroll management and global payroll compliance knows that feeling of aiming at a moving target. International payroll regulations are changing in different countries all the time, and it can be very easy to miss a change somewhere and end up in non-compliance – falling prey to all the financial and reputational risks that can entail.

It’s for this reason we have a library of nearly 90 country payroll guides, which is regularly updated to reflect the most recent information across a range of key factors. In this quarterly update, we’ll highlight eight of the countries that have seen the most significant global employment changes announced this quarter, and explore some of the key global trends that suggest payroll processing’s future direction of travel.

Australia has long been a strong country for employee benefits, rights and protections, and its latest employment law changes have only further reinforced that reputation.

From July 1 2025, paid parental leave entitlement increased from 20 weeks to 24, and the authorities will make 12% superannuation contributions on the parental leave pay. The overall superannuation rate itself reached 12% on the same date, the final step of a gradual program to increase that rate in recent years.

Additionally, Australia first introduced the ‘Right to Disconnect’ for employees outside working hours for larger employers last year. By August 2025, this will extend to all employers in Australia.


Read our full Australia Payroll Guide here, just updated.

The biggest changes in the Czech Republic are focused on making things clearer and simpler, and giving employees more flexibility in the new world of work.

The previous ‘guaranteed wage’ system, where minimum wages varied across eight job groups, has been abolished for the private sector and replaced with a single minimum wage. This mirrors the simplicity of the two-band income tax system, which is one of the most straightforward in Europe.

New flexibility for employees has been introduced when parental leave is taken, along with an increased parental allowance entitlement. Employees also now have the right to set their own work schedule, within reason and with the written mutual agreement of their employer.


Read our full Czech Republic Payroll Guide here, just updated.

Over the next two years, the Indian authorities are implementing sweeping labor reforms. Nearly 30 existing laws are being combined into four overarching codes, covering wages, industrial relations, social security, and workplace health and safety.

The new measures will take effect later this year for businesses with headcounts of 500 or more, with implementation continuing through 2026 and 2027 for smaller organizations.

The direct impact on payroll is gradually becoming clear, including the ability for businesses to switch to a four-day week, and a cap on overtime of 125 hours per quarter. We strongly recommend following developments in India closely over the coming months.


Read our full India Payroll Guide here, just updated.

Two big changes will come into effect in Ireland in 2026, which collectively will make employees financially better off in the short term and in the long term.

The first is the phasing out of the national minimum wage (which for 2025 is €12.70 per hour), to be replaced with a ‘living wage’. This will be set at 60% of the median wage of all workers in Ireland and will be reviewed on a regular basis. 

The second is the introduction of an opt-in pension scheme, similar to the United Kingdom’s Workplace Pension Scheme. The ‘My Future Fund’ starts in January 2026 with employees enrolled if they’re between 23 and 60, earn at least €20,000 a year, and don’t currently have a pension plan. Contributions will start at 1.5% each by employers and employees, and will gradually increase to reach 6% each by 2035.


Read our full Ireland Payroll Guide here, just updated.

New developments in the Netherlands haven’t been especially ground-breaking, but there have been enough to ensure payroll teams need to stay on their toes with new developments.

Income tax bands and thresholds have been tweaked slightly for 2025, while the minimum wage increased again on July 1 to €14.40 per hour. The employee benefit tax-free allowance has also been increased to 2% of annual salary, up to a maximum benefit value of €8000. The maximum cap on severance pay has also been raised from €94,000 to €98,000.


Read our full Netherlands Payroll Guide here, just updated.

Poland’s economy continues to grow at pace, and average earnings in the country have grown by 63% in just five years. As a result, authorities there have continued to make changes to legislation in a number of different areas, meaning constant vigilance by payroll teams is essential.

The minimum wage rate continues to increase every six months: it went up to PLN 4666 per month on July 1 2025. Income tax rates, however, have remained relatively static, meaning more employees are gradually becoming subject to higher tax brackets.

Additional maternity leave entitlement has been introduced when babies are born prematurely or require long post-natal hospital stays. The PFRON employer subsidies for employing disabled people have also been increased.

Read our full Poland Payroll Guide here, just updated.

Economically, Portugal lags behind most other countries in Western Europe, but authorities there are actively taking steps to make improvements to earnings and living standards across the board.

The minimum wage is now €870 per month, which works out at €12,180 per year under Portugal’s unusual 14-month salary system. Furthermore, any overtime is now taxed at half the employee’s normal rate.

Employers have also been encouraged to raise salaries for all of their employees through increased tax breaks. If they raise salary payments by an overall average of at least 4.7%, and by at least the same rate for all employees earning less than the average, then they can deduct expenses of up to five times the monthly minimum wage (currently €4350).


Read our full Portugal Payroll Guide here, just updated.

While the global trade tariffs announced by the US administration may not have a direct impact on global payroll, there is a major indirect impact in terms of the currency volatility that these and other decisions have led to.

At the time of Trump’s inauguration in January, the dollar sat at $1.21 against the British pound sterling and around $1.02 against the euro. By May 2025, the dollar had weakened substantially to $1.32 against the pound and $1.13 against the euro. 

These are major changes that will heavily influence the cost of running payroll where currency conversions are required. Businesses that normally operate in dollars will find that payroll in other countries is substantially more expensive to run.


Read our full United States Payroll Guide here, recently updated.