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Contractors can bring many benefits to your business, including flexibility, specialist skills and a diverse range of experience. However, there are several differences that come with choosing an international contractor over an employee. Understanding the difference between both is important to mitigate risk of financial and reputational damage.

Alongside its rolling hills and extensive coastlines, Sweden is renown as a prime place to do business. It's the home of IKEA, Volvo and Spotify to name just a few global businesses who originated from there. Sweden is the sixth most competitive economy in Europe and often ranks as one of the highest-performing economies worldwide. So, it's easy to see why starting a business in Sweden is a popular choice for many. ​

Alongside its rolling hills and extensive coastlines, Sweden is renown as a prime place to do business. It's the home of IKEA, Volvo and Spotify to name just a few global businesses who originated from there. Sweden is the sixth most competitive economy in Europe and often ranks as one of the highest-performing economies worldwide. So, it's easy to see why starting a business in Sweden is a popular choice for many. ​

Before making the decision to expand globally, it’s important carry out thorough research. Alongside the advantages of global expansion, it brings many challenges and is a complicated process. Going into a new market isn’t always a smooth transition, but with the right plan, partner and process, it can be.​

The pandemic has taken most businesses from busy offices to individual working. Just recently it was announced the drastic reduction of workers in Canary Wharf. On the last working day of February just 19,282 people passed through Canary Wharf station, according to Transport for London (TfL) figures, down from 110,609 on the same day last year.

For many, sitting in the office chatting to colleagues over a morning coffee can seem like almost a lifetime ago. At the beginning of the pandemic, it was feared those working remotely were less productive. But it didn’t take long before the opposite was realised, and for many, productivity and hours worked were shown to be on the up.

Remembering what the world of work was like before the pandemic can seem almost impossible. When remote working has been the norm for many for nearly a year, the process of recruitment has been forced to quickly adapt to a remote-first environment.

When looking at which country to expand into, there are some key things to consider. Economic stability, a talented workforce, and a business-friendly environment are just a few. The UK provides businesses with all this and more. In the 2018/2019 tax year, 672,890 start-ups were founded in the UK.

The business landscape is shifting rapidly. The pandemic has drastically increased the need for certain sectors, whilst reduced the dominance of others. 2020 saw huge change as, the majority of businesses had to take drastic measures to adapt to the new environment. While some of these measures are temporary, many looks set to be implemented permanently. Going into 2021, whilst entertainment, leisure and services industries are suffering greatly, industries like energy and many digital technologies in areas like cybersecurity and health care, have been in increasing demand.

The uptake, time allocated, and benefits offered, vary greatly amongst countries in Europe when it comes to paternity leave. To help enhance gender equality and reduce barriers to parenthood, the EU has announced that all member states must offer a minimum of 10 days of paid paternity leave by 2021. For some countries, this is a significant stretch on the previous lack of laws regarding their paternity leave. But for others, this and more has been the norm for several years. It’s important for HR leaders to be aware of the changing laws surrounding paternity leave. Especially during a time when the EU is pushing for improvements to be made.

2021 has seen several US employment law changes. From helping to deal with the impact of the pandemic, to changes relating to leave, maternity care, and contractor status. In the US, many states have altered employee policy to help improve the lives of the workforce and businesses. Some of these steps are temporary for the pandemic, and others look here to stay.

When hiring globally, there is lots to keep track of. From employment laws and regulations to taxes and payroll. Managing a global team comes with substantial HR admin. But one thing that always needs to be kept on top of is changes to the minimum wage. We’ve explored five different countries that have made minimum wage changes in 2021.