Answer ... The enactment of the new Labour Law, which entered into force in Federal Iraq in 2016, marked an essential step in the attempt to align Iraqi labour practices with international norms. The Labour Law is more detailed and addresses the shortcomings of its predecessor.

As mentioned previously, the Labour Law has not entered into force in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, pending endorsement by the local Parliament. In practice, it is widely believed that the rules of the previous Labour Law still apply in the Kurdistan Region, although such law has been annulled by the new Labour Law. A draft labour law is reportedly under consideration by the Kurdistan Parliament (envisaged to be separate from the federal Labour Law). It remains to be seen whether the Kurdistan Region will apply the new Labour Law or enact its own.