Rapid employment-law changes challenge for firms
Addleshaw Goddard Ireland hosted its annual Employment Law Training Day at Dublin’s Merrion Hotel, bringing together industry representatives to explore key employment trends shaping 2026.
The half-day event last week focused on providing attendees with the latest updates on recent advancements in employment and immigration law in Ireland, along with practical training and support for navigating issues within the workplace.
The EU Pay Transparency Directive is to be transposed into national law in June and the event gave insight into implications on the recruitment, promotion, and pay processes.
The event also explored Revenue guidance on employment misclassification and the recent WRC approach, as well as the 2024 EU platformworker directive.
Other themes included handling requests to work past contractual retirement age and evolving trends in flexible, remote, and parttime work requests.
Immigration-law changes were also examined, as well as the Government action plan to promote collective bargaining rights and the directive to strengthen the role of European Works Councils.
Partner and head of employment at Addleshaw Goddard Ireland Maura Connolly said:
“It’s clear from our engagement with our clients throughout the day that the changing nature of employment law continues to create challenges for organisations.
Burden
“Our clients are balancing the burden of increased regulation across Europe and Ireland with their business imperatives and value practical guidance.”
Connolly added that there is a lack of clarity on many key issues in the upcoming deadline for the EU Pay Transparency Directive, in the absence of local legislation.