New maternity leave entitlements announced in the Budget came into effect from today.
Paid leave went up from 18 to 22 weeks and unpaid leave increased to 12 weeks.
Adoptive paid leave increased to 20 weeks.
The National Women's Council has welcomed the developments but says more progress is needed in the area of paid parental leave.
However, some employers say the increased entitlements are placing too great a burden on small companies.
In March next year, paid and unpaid maternity leave will go up by a further four weeks.
