Key Employment Law Changes

Employment Law 30th January 2017

There are a few things that you are pretty certain of in life.  Death, taxes, and employment law changes and as a business owner it’s important that you know what legal changes are around the corner and how you can prepare for them.

Here are some of the important changes, and key dates to note … 

Gender pay gap reporting 

For the first time, private sector, public sector, and voluntary sector employers with 250+ members of staff will be required to publish information relating to the gender pay gap, and how they are performing in terms of driving forward equality.

Currently, the exact requirements are still being drafted, though it’s expected that the deadline for the first report will be 4th April 2018, based on data from 2016/2017. We’ll release more guidance on this once it’s available.

Changes to regulations surrounding employment of foreign workers 

From April 2017, employers sponsoring foreign workers with a tier 2 visa will have to pay an immigration skills charge of £1,000 per worker. This will be reduced to £364 for small employers and charities.

In addition to this, the minimum annual salary threshold for ‘experienced workers’ applying for a tier 2 visa will be increased to £30,000. If you employ foreign workers, or plan to open up your recruitment channels in the near future? You need to make sure you’re compliant. 

National minimum wage and living wage changes to be aligned 

The dates for changes to national minimum wage and national minimum wage will be brought into alignment, so the good news here is that there are less dates to keep track of!

From April 2017, the national living wage for staff aged 25 or over will increase to £7.50 per hour. 

All things considered, there’s plenty to think about in 2017, and plenty that you need to plan for. And of course, there’s the tricky issue of Brexit … There’s still a grey area over what we should really expect, though things will hopefully become clearer in the coming months. As always, make sure that you keep an eye on our updates for practical, no-nonsense guidance on what you really need to know. 

If you need help ensuring compliance? We can help. Fill in the Contact Form here or call us on 01604 763494 today to arrange your no-obligation discussion.

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