Singapore, Australia and the US are taking distinct approaches to immigration policies, each with significant implications for employers. Singapore is balancing the attraction of highly skilled foreign talent with the need to prioritize local workers, potentially through stricter regulatory measures. In contrast, Australia’s new visa program has expanded opportunities for foreign talent by allowing more
Australia
‘Tis the Season! Here’s your Global Equity Award Filing Chart (2024 – 2025)
Here’s your go-to guide for annual filing and reporting requirements for global employee share plans.
It is almost the end of the calendar year and time for multinational companies to consider the necessary tax and regulatory filings for global share plans triggered by the close of 2024 (or by the end of a local…
The Global Employer: Global Immigration & Mobility Quarterly Update | December 2024
We are pleased to share with you The Global Employer – Global Immigration & Mobility Quarterly Update, a collection of key updates from Australia, Italy, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, and the United States.
Click here to view.

Global Employment Law Fastpass | Listen in to our Asia Pacific update
With special thanks to presenters Michael Michalandos (Australia), Jonathan Isaacs (China), Kenneth Chua (Philippines) and Celeste Ang (Singapore).
Our four-part Global Employment Law Fastpass for US Multinationals 2023 Webinar Series features US moderators welcoming Baker McKenzie colleagues from around the globe as they share the latest labor and employment law updates and trends.
In this…
Navigating the World – An Update on Key Global Employment Laws and Trends for US Multinational Employers 2022 Webinar Series: Asia Pacific
Special thanks to presenters Michael Michalandos (Sydney), Jonathan Isaacs (Hong Kong), Tomohisa Muranushi (Tokyo), Kenneth Chua (Manila) and Celeste Ang (Singapore)
Our four-part Navigating the World webinar series features US moderators welcoming Baker McKenzie colleagues from around the globe as they share the latest labor and employment law updates and trends. In this session, US-based…
The Global Employer: Global Immigration & Mobility Quarterly Update | September 2021
We are pleased to share with you The Global Employer – Global Immigration & Mobility Quarterly Update which is a collection of immigration and mobility alerts and videos from around the world.
Please click here to view.
Global Guided Tour for US Multinational Employers: Asia Pacific
Special thanks to presenters Celeste Ang (Singapore), Jonathan Isaacs (Hong Kong), Michael Michalandos (Sydney), Tomohisa Muranushi (Tokyo) and Kenneth Chua (Manila).
Our four-part Global Guided Tour for US Multinational Employers webinar series is your passport to ensure that your organization is up to speed on the key labor and employment issues affecting business operations in …
The Global Employer: Global Immigration & Mobility Quarterly Update | December 2020
We are pleased to share with you The Global Employer – Global Immigration & Mobility Quarterly Update which is a collection of immigration and mobility alerts from around the world.
Please click here to view.
A Quick & Timely Guide to the Australian Award System
With special thanks to our Australian colleagues Michael Michalandos and Carmel Foley for this post.
This briefing contains a summary of everything an employer in Australian needs to know about the operation of the award system.
Why this is important?
We have prepared this briefing because there has been a high incidence of employers in the information technology industry failing to have regard to the application of modern awards in their workforce or misunderstanding how these awards operate. In particular, many employers have issued employment contracts which do not identify the applicable award and do not contain provisions which comply with the award.
This may result in a potentially serious compliance issue which could cost the business a significant amount of money in terms of back-payments, penalties, and potential reputational damage.
What is an award?
Modern awards (or, simply, “awards”) are industrial instruments created by the Fair Work Commission (FWC) that set and regulate minimum terms and conditions of employment for certain employees in Australia. Currently, there are 122 awards and almost all businesses in Australia will employ award-covered employees. Awards operate in a similar way to legislation and their application can only be circumvented in very limited circumstances.
Who do awards cover?
Awards generally fall into one of two categories: “industry awards” or “occupational awards.” Some awards apply on both an industry and occupational basis, for example the Professional Employees Award 2010 (Professional Employees Award) which, for example, covers engineers on an occupational basis but also covers employers operating in the “information technology industry” (as defined) on an industry basis.Continue Reading A Quick & Timely Guide to the Australian Award System
France, Spain And Soon Ireland, Kick Off New Gender Pay Gap Reporting Requirements
Today is Equal Pay Day in the US. It marks the date women need to work into 2019 to earn what men were paid in the previous year. (And, in fact, this particular date does not take into account that women of color are often paid less than white women.)
Collecting, sharing, maintaining (and possibly publishing) diversity data (of any type but including gender pay) remains a significant undertaking for employers. And the complexity compounds for multinationals.
While we are still waiting to see if the EEOC will begin collecting aggregate pay data by gender (READ MORE HERE), many countries outside the US already do (e.g. the UK and Australia).
The global trend towards requiring transparency is not slowing. Just recently, France, Spain and soon Ireland have jumped aboard.Continue Reading France, Spain And Soon Ireland, Kick Off New Gender Pay Gap Reporting Requirements