Four countries made moves this week that directly affect how you hire, pay, and manage distributed teams. The US Department of Labor dropped a bulletin on Monday that redraws enforcement priorities for every employer running a retirement plan. New Zealand finalizes its open work visa split into two tiers on April 20, just two days from now. The EU Pay Transparency Directive deadline sits 50 days out, and most member states still haven’t transposed it. Meanwhile, China’s unified “Join in Card” system is reshaping how foreign professionals access work permits and social services. If your team spans any of these regions, today’s global employment regulations digest has the action items you need.

US DOL Rewrites ERISA Enforcement Playbook, Puts ESG Investing on Notice

On April 14, the US Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) issued Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2026-01, a document that signals the most significant shift in retirement plan enforcement priorities in years. The bulletin lays out four guiding principles and draws a hard line on fiduciary duty of loyalty violations.

The headline change: EBSA will now prioritize “the most egregious conduct or significant harm,” specifically targeting fiduciaries who misappropriate pension assets or pursue goals unrelated to participant financial interests. ESG-driven investment decisions are explicitly named as a potential loyalty concern. If your retirement plan committee has been weighting environmental or social factors without tying them directly to participant financial outcomes, this bulletin puts you on notice.

The practical implications extend beyond ESG. EBSA has also set new timelines for investigations. Routine cases involving delinquent employee contributions, disclosure violations, and bonding issues must now close within 18 months. Complex investigations get a 30-month window. That’s a faster enforcement cadence than plan sponsors have dealt with historically. (Source: Ogletree Deakins)

The bulletin also states that EBSA will “not regulate through enforcement or use enforcement to drive policy.” In practice, that means the agency wants clear, published guidance to precede any action, reducing the chance of “unfair surprise” for fiduciaries who followed process-based decision-making. (Source: Proskauer via JD Supra)

What to do: If you employ workers in the US and sponsor a retirement plan, review your investment policy statement by May 15. Confirm that any ESG-weighted funds in your plan menu are justified by financial analysis, not social objectives alone. Ask your plan advisor whether your current US employment law compliance framework accounts for the new EBSA priorities. If it doesn’t, schedule a fiduciary review before Q3.

New Zealand Splits Open Work Visas into Two Tiers on April 20

Two days from now, on April 20, New Zealand’s Immigration New Zealand enforces a new two-tier system for all open work visas. Every open work visa will now carry either a Tier 1 or Tier 2 condition, and the distinction matters if you’re hiring or managing workers on these visas. (Source: Immigration New Zealand)

Tier 1 holders can do any work: employment, sole trading, running a business. Tier 2 holders are restricted to employer-based work only, under an employment agreement or contract for services. No self-employment, no business ownership. Both tiers prohibit employing other people.

The transitional provision is important. If you or your team members currently perform work that falls outside their new tier, they can continue until the current visa expires. But any visa renewal after April 20 locks in the new restrictions. If you’re hiring in New Zealand, check which tier your visa holders fall under before Monday. Misclassification could mean your contractor is suddenly barred from the work arrangement you set up six months ago.

EU Pay Transparency: 50 Days to Deadline, Zero Countries Fully Ready

The EU Pay Transparency Directive’s transposition deadline is June 7, 2026. As of today, no member state has fully transposed it into national law. Italy and Slovakia are close, with draft legislation at advanced stages. Ireland has published a partial draft focused on recruitment transparency. The Czech Republic has openly said it won’t meet the deadline, pushing its own legislation to January 2027. Hungary and Croatia have reported no transposition activity at all. (Source: Ogletree Deakins)

What does this mean for employers hiring across Europe? Even where national laws lag, the Directive’s core requirements give you a preview of what’s coming. Employers must provide pay ranges to applicants before the first interview. Salary history questions are banned. Employees gain the right to request average pay data for comparable roles by gender. Companies with 250+ employees must report gender pay gaps annually starting June 2027, using 2026 pay data. If your 2026 pay data isn’t clean, you’re already behind. (Source: Ravio EU Directive Guide)

Start now: Audit your job postings across EU markets for salary range disclosures. Build a pay data collection process that captures comparable-role benchmarks by gender. Baker McKenzie has published a compliance toolkit this month to help employers navigate these global employment regulations country by country.

China Unifies Work Permits and Social Security Under the “Join in Card”

China’s Ministry of Human Resources formally retired the physical work permit card for foreign nationals. The replacement is the “Join in Card,” a digital-first system that merges work permit information with social security credentials into a single electronic card, accessible via a mobile app. (Source: Fragomen)

The old process required foreign workers to visit two separate government departments, submit duplicate materials, and wait roughly a month. The new system accepts a single online application through the Service System for Foreigners Working in China, with delivery in about 10 days. The card covers 264 public services across government, transport, tourism, finance, and healthcare, eliminating the need to carry a passport for routine services. (Source: Chinese Government)

If you’re hiring foreign professionals in China, this simplifies onboarding significantly. Your HR team no longer needs to coordinate two separate permit tracks. But you still need to ensure your China work permit and visa compliance aligns with the points-based classification system (A, B, or C category) that determines eligibility. The permanent residence pathway has also been updated: the required consecutive work tenure dropped from four years to two years for high-tech industries, and the income threshold for Category A talent now requires top 20% salary ranking by role and city.

More Global Employment Regulations to Watch

• Japan: Childcare leave disclosure requirements expanded. Companies with 300+ employees (previously 1,000+) must now publicly report childcare leave uptake rates. Employers with 100+ staff must set measurable targets for male childcare leave usage in their action plans. Effective April 1, 2026. (Source: DLA Piper)
• US (H-2B): Second allocation of 27,736 H-2B temporary worker visas available for employment starting April 1-30, 2026, limited to returning workers who held H-2B status in fiscal years 2023-2025. (Source: USCIS)

Global Employment Regulations: Action Items This Week

If you sponsor a US retirement plan: Review your investment policy statement for ESG-weighted funds. Ensure all ESG factors are documented with a financial rationale tied to participant outcomes. Target completion: May 15, ahead of Q3 fiduciary reviews.

If you have workers in New Zealand on open work visas: Confirm which tier (1 or 2) applies to each visa holder before April 20. Tier 2 holders cannot self-employ or own businesses. Current arrangements continue only until visa expiry.

If you hire across the EU: Start building your pay transparency data infrastructure now. Audit job postings for salary ranges. Prepare gender pay gap collection for 2026 data (reporting starts June 2027 for 250+ employee companies). Don’t wait for individual country transposition.

If you’re onboarding foreign professionals in China: Switch to the “Join in Card” digital application flow through the Service System for Foreigners Working in China. Processing time: ~10 days. No physical work permit card needed post-entry.

Keeping up with global employment regulations across multiple jurisdictions is a full-time job. If you’re scaling a distributed team and need automated payroll compliance across countries, Asanify’s Global HRMS handles multi-country tax, benefits, and employment law tracking so your team doesn’t miss a deadline.

FAQ

What changed in US DOL ERISA enforcement in April 2026?

The DOL issued Field Assistance Bulletin 2026-01 on April 14, shifting EBSA’s enforcement priorities toward the most egregious fiduciary breaches. ESG-driven investment decisions that aren’t tied to participant financial interests are now explicitly flagged as potential duty-of-loyalty violations. Routine investigations must close within 18 months, and complex ones within 30 months.

What are New Zealand’s new open work visa tiers?

Starting April 20, 2026, all open work visas carry either a Tier 1 (any work, including business ownership) or Tier 2 (employer-based work only) condition. Tier 2 holders cannot self-employ or own businesses. Current visa holders can continue existing arrangements until their visa expires, but renewals after April 20 apply the new rules.

When does the EU Pay Transparency Directive take effect?

EU member states must transpose the Directive into national law by June 7, 2026. As of April 2026, no member state has fully transposed it. Core requirements include providing pay ranges before the first interview, banning salary history questions, and annual gender pay gap reporting for companies with 250+ employees starting June 2027.

How does China’s “Join in Card” affect foreign worker onboarding?

China merged work permits and social security cards into a single digital “Join in Card.” Foreign workers apply once online through the Service System for Foreigners Working in China, receive the card in about 10 days, and can access 264 public services without carrying a passport. Physical work permit cards are no longer issued.

Do these global employment regulations affect startups with small international teams?

Yes. The NZ visa tier changes apply regardless of company size. The EU Pay Transparency Directive’s recruitment requirements (salary ranges, no history questions) apply to all employers in the EU, not just large ones. US ERISA enforcement affects any company sponsoring a retirement plan. Only the EU’s annual reporting threshold (250+ employees) is size-gated.

Not to be considered as tax, legal, financial or HR advice. Regulations change over time so please consult a lawyer, accountant  or Labour Law  expert for specific guidance.