Minimum Wage and Trade Unions in Vietnam

The New Year is shaping up for some big changes in Vietnam. Minimum wages are set to increase by approximately 5.7% as of January 1st, 2020. Depending on the industry and geographical region, some minimum wage rates may increase from the current rate of $6 USD to $10 USD.  There have also been some new standards created for those who have received formal, vocational training. In these instances, employees must be paid (at a minimum) 7% more than the minimum salary level available.

  • The GPS Team
  • 11 February, 2020
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Pakistan Labor Laws

Working in Pakistan has become a struggle for many people within the nation. The current economic condition of the country has increased uncertainty about worker rights. The Pakistan Workers Federation (PWF) has been created in order to speak for all employees within the country, regardless of their employment role. Last month, the PWF demanded that the Pakistan government finally implement labor laws that will secure (or at the very least, increase) workers’ rights (especially laborers).

  • The GPS Team
  • 4 February, 2020
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The Right to Work in Ethiopia

Refugees in Ethiopia are not presently able to apply for a work permit and are instead going to great lengths to find ways to earn a living. While Ethiopia recently passed a law to register 700,000 refugees and asylum seekers within the country, they still do not have the right to work and therefore are left in an extremely precarious situation. While they can open bank accounts, and register births and marriages within the country, refugees and asylum seekers are still unable to legally work, therefore leaving these individuals with very few options of having a sustainable livelihood.

  • The GPS Team
  • 28 January, 2020
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How Salary Agreements are made in Australia

Starting in March 2020 there will be some new changes to the way that annual salary arrangements are structured in Australia across a variety of industries. These changes have been developed in accordance with the federal awards that aid organizations in creating pay structures for their employees and cover a diverse range of industries throughout the country.

  • The GPS Team
  • 21 January, 2020
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Managing Employee Behavior in Uganda

As an employer, what do you do when an employee behaves inappropriately outside of the workplace? Or when they post something online that negatively affects your company?

Given the ubiquity of social media platforms, universal access and a culture of posting contrarian views, employers find themselves in a bit of a pickle. While there may be disclaimers about personal views on social media posts, is this really enough to protect the employee at their workplace? Is it also enough to protect the workplace against negative repercussions?

  • The GPS Team
  • 14 January, 2020
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Minimum Wage Development in Bermuda

Minimum wages may have been considered common practice across most of the world for many years, however, Bermuda is just now in the process of developing them. Over 90% of the nations that are members of the International Labour Organization, have already created minimum and statutory national wage plans. As of this month, the new Wage Commission has been developed and proposed, which may lead to the future creation of a structured minimum wage policy in Bermuda in the not so distant future. Based on the overall discussion surrounding the new Wage Commission, both a minimum wage and a standard living wage rate are being discussed within the government.

  • The GPS Team
  • 7 January, 2020
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Business Tax in Ecuador

Ecuador is currently in a state of tax reform and many different areas of tax policy are being adjusted. This is undoubtedly creating some strain on a number of different companies and industries within the country. From an accounting perspective, this tax reform strives to make the overall corporate tax system much simpler and will further improve the financial structure of the government as they attempt to eliminate fuel subsidies.

At this point, companies are subject to a flat-rate income tax of 25% after workers’ and employees’ profit shares have been deducted (approximately 15%). Additionally, personal tax rates will remain the same at a variable rate of 5-35% based on a number of factors.

  • The GPS Team
  • 30 December, 2019
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5 Strategies for Successful International Hiring

Organizations have seen many changes in the last few decades, but none have been as transformative and radical as what we now call Globalization. Today, more and more companies are opening up offices/factories in countries in addition to their own, in order to reap the benefits of a globally distributed workforce.

With global expansion comes the responsibility of hiring high quality manpower at all company locations.

Hiring internationally, where the recruiter sits in one country and hires for operations in other countries, is a critically important component of multi-national companies. Read on to learn some of the hallmarks of how to have a successful international hiring practice:

  • The GPS Team
  • 23 December, 2019
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Hiring and Terminating Employees in Poland

Poland is a country located in central Europe with just over 38 million citizens. As of 2017, just over 18 million of these citizens were considered part of the Polish labor force – accounting for nearly half of the overall population. With approximately 2.6 million businesses registered in the country, it is important to understand the hiring and termination policies as described in the Polish Labor Code.

  • The GPS Team
  • 17 December, 2019
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Labor Bans in the UAE

While considered taboo in a number of regions and countries around the world, labor bans are alive and well in the United Arab Emirates, where there are two types of visa related bans (labor bans and immigration bans). As a country where the majority of workers are actually expatriates, this can result in some major concerns for employees looking to work in the UAE.

  • The GPS Team
  • 10 December, 2019
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