Job adverts must include salaries in 'clampdown' on recruiters

Job adverts must display a salary under plans for new transparency laws.

Less than one in five employers publish specific salaries and almost 60% don't even publish ranges, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Some 94% of respondents to a government consultation backed the requirement, including 93% of businesses.

"You should know what a job pays before spending your time and effort applying for it," Andy Burnham said.

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"That's why we will make it a legal requirement for all employers to say what you pay."

The prime minister called on businesses to say what they pay now rather than wait for the legislation to pass through Parliament.

The government said it will bring forward the legislation "as soon as possible".

Trade unions and campaign groups have praised the move.

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General secretary of the Trades Union Congress, Paul Nowak, branded it "a clampdown on disrespectful" recruitment practices.

He said this could also help minority employees, as they were "all too often" offered lower salaries in the absence of upfront transparency about wage expectations.

Nishi Mayor, of the Youth Futures Foundation, said: "With one in eight 16 to 24-year-olds currently NEET, it is right and important that government is consulting with employers to help make the path into work smoother for young people by removing barriers to entering the workplace."

Penny East, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, said "salary secrecy" has made it harder for women to challenge unfair and unequal pay.

"Requiring employers to publish salaries in job adverts is a significant step towards making work fairer for women and tackling the gender pay gap," she added.

Some have warned the policy could have unintended consequences.

Career coach Amelia Brooke described salary transparency as a "double-edged sword".

"On the plus side, it saves jobseekers time, helps prevent lowball offers, and lets candidates frame their experience around the salary band," she told Newspage.

"However, when employers are forced to post strict salaries or ranges, it can be tempting to set them conservatively."

She warned that could mean companies miss out on high-value candidates, while applicants may feel undervalued if they are offered the middle rather than the top of a salary band.

Kelly Smallcombe, from Meliorem HR Consultancy, also backed the principle but questioned how useful advertised ranges would be in practice.

"The US has been here, and companies just published ranges so wide they told candidates nothing," she said.

"Pay is competitive information, so there is no incentive to be open, and many firms will advertise roles across several levels with huge bands to avoid showing what they really pay."

Scott Gallacher, director at Rowley Turton, said transparency was welcome, but warned mandatory disclosure could create problems for smaller employers.

"It could discourage them from paying a premium to attract urgently needed staff, knowing this might trigger wider pay demands from existing employees, potentially leaving smaller businesses with tough choices."

(c) Sky News 2026: Job adverts must include salaries in 'clampdown' on recruiters