Britain to make salary disclosure in job ads mandatory

Britain will require employers to publish ​salaries in job advertisements, Prime ​Minister Andy Burnham said on Thursday, ‌as ​part of efforts to reduce the number of young people not in work, education or training. The government said ‌requiring companies to disclose pay in job ads would help young people applying for their first jobs, while boosting pay transparency and helping tackle disparities that can disadvantage ‌women.

Just over two in five employers always publish salary ranges, while fewer than ‌one in five always disclose specific salaries, Burnham's office said, citing estimates from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. "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," Burnham said in a ⁠statement.

The government will soon introduce legislation to parliament making salary disclosures mandatory, Burnham's office ​said, although it did not provide a timeline. Nearly one million, or 13%, of ⁠16 to 24 year-olds in Britain are not in employment, education or training, one of the ⁠highest shares ​in Europe. A government review into youth inactivity is due to be published later in November.

The measure is part of a broader push to ⁠increase pay transparency. New York became the largest US city to require most private employers to ⁠disclose salary ranges ⁠in 2022.

The European Union adopted pay transparency rules the following year, giving member states until June 2026 to implement them ‌in national ‌law.