As many as two in five (40 per cent) employees with unpaid caring duties are quitting their job, Carers UK’s State of Caring 2023 survey has found. Another 22 per cent of the 10,751 unpaid carers surveyed are reducing their working hours because of their high levels of unpaid care.

Given that 80 per cent of women aged 45 to 55 are employed, it is encouraging that awareness of the need to support employees experiencing menopause is growing. As this awareness grows, so too do employment tribunal statistics concerning menopause-related issues: claims citing menopause have increased over the last three years. Employers need to be alive to the equalities and business risks of failing to support employees experiencing menopause symptoms, particularly those whose symptoms are severe and prolonged.

The government has announced draft legislation to reform holiday pay for part-time and irregular hours workers, which will come into effect from January 2024. As well as simplifying calculations, the Department for Business and Trade said it will allow 'rolled up' holiday pay for part-time workers and those who work irregular hours, enabling employers to include an amount for holiday pay on top of the hourly rate in regular pay packets.

The talent competition is fierce globally, especially in Hong Kong where turnover and emigration rates are high. In the past, attractive salaries and benefit packages would be more than enough to attract and retain talent. Now, employees, especially those of the younger generations, are no longer purely paycheck-driven.

The average forecast rate of increase in real terms in the region for 2024 is 2.2%, more than double the global average of 1%. Real salary increases in the Asia Pacific region outperformed the rest of the world in 2023, with nine of the 12 locations experiencing the highest real salary increases in the world being in the region.