UK to require employers to publish salaries on job adverts

New pay transparency plan

The UK government will bring forward legislation making it a legal requirement for employers to publish salaries on job adverts, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced. The government said it will introduce the legislation “as soon as possible” and urged businesses to publish salary information now rather than wait for the law to take effect.

Burnham said: “Whether you’re a young person starting out or a parent trying to support your family, you should know what a job pays before spending your time and effort applying for it. That’s why we will make it a legal requirement for all employers to say what you pay.”

Consultation and support

Ministers first consulted in July on moves to improve how equal pay laws work. The government said 93% of businesses responded positively to the consultation, while early analysis showed 94% of respondents backed the requirement.

Bridget Phillipson, minister for women and equalities, said: “What a job pays is rightly at the forefront of people’s minds when looking for work – it shouldn’t be a guessing game.”

Paul Nowak, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, said: “Anyone who’s searched for a job knows how frustrating it is to read ‘competitive salary’ instead of just saying how much they’ll be paid.”

Details still to be decided

Ministers have not yet decided exactly what information will have to be published, which size of company will have to comply, or how it will be enforced. The government has not announced when the rules will take effect.

Research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development found less than half of employers always published salary ranges on job adverts, while less than a fifth always published specific salaries.

Sources

• theguardian.com: Employers to be forced to put salaries on job ads, Andy Burnham announces | Employment law | The Guardian
• newscord.org: Burnham urges firms to publish pay in job adverts ahead of new law | Framing Analysis | NewsCord
• peoplemanagement.co.uk: Employers to be required to disclose salaries in job adverts under new laws
• the-european.eu: Job Adverts Must Reveal Salaries Under New ‘Say What You Pay’ Law
• independent.co.uk: Burnham to force UK employers to include salaries in job adverts | The Independent
• inkl.com: Employers to be forced to put salaries on job ads,…

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.