The U.K. government says it plans to require pay information in job adverts.
Why it matters: The proposal could change how employers set and advertise pay and how candidates compare roles. The current plan is not yet law, and key design choices remain open.
- The government has stated an intention to require pay information in job adverts, but has not enacted legislation.
- An earlier consultation proposed publishing pay information in adverts or providing it before an interview when no advert existed.
- The government has not settled whether employers would publish a salary range, a fixed salary or another reference point.
- The Recruitment and Employment Confederation said ministers indicated a bill could be introduced within six months, but that would not mean the law had taken effect.
The U.K. government says it plans to require employers to provide pay information when advertising jobs. The supplied materials do not include a direct link to a current government announcement or publication setting out that decision. The current-plan claim is instead described by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation.
The government’s earlier Equal Pay and Pay Discrimination consultation proposed that employers publish pay information in a job advert. If there were no public advert, employers would provide the information in writing before an interview. That was a consultation proposal, not legislation.
The government has now stated an intention to proceed with a requirement, but the supplied materials do not establish the final wording. Issues still under consideration include whether employers must publish a salary range, a fixed salary or a benchmark rate. Here, “benchmark rate” means a reference figure used to indicate expected pay. The treatment of bonuses, benefits, pensions, working hours and collective bargaining arrangements - negotiations between employers and worker representatives over employment terms - is also unresolved.
The plan’s geographic coverage is unsettled too. “Territorial scope” means whether the rule would cover only jobs performed in the U.K. or also roles based outside the U.K. The materials say the government intends the requirement to apply across employers, but do not define that coverage.
The consultation document said 41% of employers always publish salary ranges and 18% always publish specific salaries. It also said 94% of consultation respondents supported a requirement, including 93% of businesses. Those percentages refer to the consultation’s respondents, not all U.K. employers or businesses; the supplied materials do not provide the sample size, fieldwork dates or methodology. The government’s Equality Law Call for Evidence: analysis findings related to pay discrimination said salary information can support fairer negotiations.
The REC said ministers indicated legislation could be introduced within six months and that employers are being encouraged to include salary information before legislation takes effect. The six-month estimate is the REC’s account of ministers’ indication; the materials do not provide a bill date or an effective date.
By the numbers
- 41% - employers who, according to the Equal Pay and Pay Discrimination consultation, said they always publish salary ranges
- 18% - employers who said they always publish specific salaries in the Equal Pay and Pay Discrimination consultation
- 94% and 93% - consultation respondents and businesses, respectively, reported as supporting a pay-information requirement
Yes, but: The consultation figures describe respondents, not the full employer or business population, and the supplied materials do not include the consultation date, sample size or methodology.
What's next: The REC says ministers indicated a bill could be introduced within six months. The next formal step would be publication and introduction of legislation, but no bill date or commencement date is provided.