By: HUB’s EB Global Benefits Team

What is it about?

Governments in the Asia Pacific region continue to expand statutory leave entitlements as part of broader workforce modernization and employee wellbeing initiatives. Recent reforms in Thailand, the Indian state of Karnataka and Taiwan reflect a regional trend toward strengthening parental support, increasing flexibility in childcare-related leave and introducing new categories of employee protections. These changes may increase payroll costs, administrative requirements and workforce planning complexity for employers.

Thailand — expanded maternity and parental leave

Thailand has enacted amendments to its Labor Protection Act, taking effect in December 2025. The reforms introduce significant enhancements to parental-related leave entitlements:

Maternity leave will increase from 98 days to 120 days per pregnancy, and employers must now pay full wages for 60 days, up from the previous 45 days.

A new entitlement provides up to 15 additional days of employer-paid leave for mothers whose newborns require additional medical care due to illness, disability, abnormalities or risk of complications. Employers must pay 50% of wages, and employees must provide a medical certificate. The law does not clarify whether the leave is calculated in working days or calendar days.

Thailand also introduces, for the first time, a statutory 15-day paid parental leave entitlement for employees of any gender to support a spouse who has given birth. This leave must be taken within 90 days of childbirth and is paid at full wages.

India (Karnataka) — paid menstrual leave

The Government of Karnataka introduced a new statutory entitlement effective November 2025, requiring employers to provide one paid day of menstrual leave per month (up to 12 days per year) for female employees aged 18 to 52 years.

The entitlement applies to permanent, contractual and outsourced employees. No medical certificate is required, and unused leave cannot be carried forward, reinforcing that this is designed as a monthly wellbeing entitlement rather than an accumulating benefit.

The order applies broadly to private sector establishments in the Indian state of Karnataka, but not in other states of the federal Republic of India. Employers should ensure policies are structured carefully to avoid discrimination or stigma.

Taiwan — flexible infant care and childcare leave reform

Taiwan implemented a major parental leave reform effective January 2026, introducing flexible infant care / flexible childcare leave. Under this change, each parent may take up to 30 single days of childcare leave within the existing subsidy-eligible period, enabling more flexible use of parental leave that previously required longer blocks, which often discouraged use due to the disruption caused by extended absence. Combined, both parents may use up to 60 days.

The reform also introduces hour-based childcare support, allowing employees to take family care leave in hourly increments, up to 56 hours per year, for urgent childcare needs. Employers cannot deny these requests or penalize employees.

To support business continuity, standard requests require five days’ notice, while emergency requests may be submitted one day in advance. The government will provide employers a subsidy of TWD 1,000 per childcare leave day used.

Impact on companies

  • Thailand: higher maternity wage obligations and the introduction of paid parental leave will increase payroll costs.
  • Thailand: additional compliance burden due to new annual reporting requirements and unclear interpretation of leave duration rules
  • Karnataka: menstrual leave entitlement adds up to 12 additional paid leave days for eligible women employees per year impacting workforce planning.
  • Taiwan: increased operational complexity as daily and hourly childcare leave flexibility may create short-notice staffing disruptions
  • Manager education will be critical to ensure compliant and consistent application of leave policies.

Suggested employer action

  • Update leave policies, payroll rules and employee handbooks.
  • Monitor for further Thai regulatory guidance clarifying whether new leave entitlements are calendar-based or working-day based.
  • Implement clear and non-discriminatory menstrual leave policies in India (Karnataka) and review outsourcing arrangements to ensure compliance.
  • Update HR systems in Taiwan to track single-day and hourly leave usage and train managers on non-retaliation requirements.
  • Conduct a regional compliance review to ensure consistent application and communication of leave entitlements across business units.
  • Employers operating in more than one state in India may consider the need for harmonization at a national level.

If you have any questions, please contact your HUB advisor. View more updates in our Global Benefits Directory.