Employers would be required to include salary information in job adverts under plans announced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, according to the BBC and The Guardian. The proposal is not yet law, and no date has been announced for the requirement to take effect.
The BBC reports that the government intends to bring forward legislation as soon as possible. In the meantime, the prime minister is encouraging employers to disclose pay in their adverts voluntarily rather than wait for the law to change.
The government argues that greater pay transparency would help applicants assess vacancies, particularly those starting their careers. It also presents the proposal as a way to reduce pay discrimination. These are the intended benefits of the planned legislation, not demonstrated results of a requirement already in force.
Key details remain undecided
What employers would have to disclose is still unclear. According to The Guardian, ministers have yet to settle the precise information required in adverts, the size of businesses covered or how the rules would be enforced. The announcement should therefore not be read as a requirement to put a single, fixed salary figure in every vacancy notice.
For jobseekers, the immediate distinction is important: the announcement alone does not mean they can expect pay information in every advert. The detailed legislation will determine which employers must comply and how they must present remuneration.
Both outlets refer to earlier consultations on pay transparency and equal pay. Support for making salaries more visible does not, however, amount to agreement on how a legal requirement should work.
A representative of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the professional body for human resources and people development, quoted by the BBC supports giving applicants pay information but questions whether the content of job adverts needs to be regulated by law. The representative also points to the complexity of setting salaries, which may depend on a candidate’s skills, experience and potential.
The detail of the proposed legislation will therefore matter to both applicants and employers. For now, the government has announced its intention to require greater transparency, while the scope of the obligation and its implementation timetable remain unsettled.
