On 12 July 2024, the Tribunal for Anti-Sexual Harassment (“Tribunal”) established under the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act 2022 (“Act”), issued its first award in a sexual harassment case involving a male employer and a female employee. This development is a timely reminder that sexual harassment cases occurring within the workplace can still be heard by the Tribunal under the Act, and that employers owe legal duties to its employees in managing workplace sexual harassment.

Recently, we have observed that the labor authorities in Peninsular Malaysia have increased efforts to monitor employers’ compliance with the local laws and practice. With the expansion of the scope of the Malaysian Employment Act (EA) effective 1 January 2023 to cover all employees in Peninsular Malaysia (and Labuan), employers are reminded of their statutory obligations, especially those under the EA.

Baker McKenzie is proud to launch a series of webinars aimed at helping employers understand current employment trends and issues in the South East Asia region. Some of the topics discussed are Alternatives to the Traditional Employment Model, and complexities of Workforce Optimization.

To help you stay informed about employment law developments in Asia Pacific, Baker McKenzie has launched its latest podcast series, Need to Know: The Asia Pacific Employment Law Podcast. In this series, we will be discussing recent legislative changes, notable cases and other employment law hot topics. In our first episode, partner Trishelea Sandosam (Kuala Lumpur) and legal assistant Han Yang Quek (Kuala Lumpur) explain the key changes to Malaysia’s Employment Act that came into effect on 1 January 2023, and what employers should be doing in response to these changes.

Amendments to the Employment Act 1955 (“Act”) have been long overdue. On 30 March 2022, the Employment (Amendment) Bill 2021 was passed in Dewan Negara (Senate). The amendments have not come into force and there is currently no indication as to when this might happen.