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During the summer, the Cabinet Office initiated a consultation focused on pay transparency and tackling discrimination in the workplace. The government reported receiving overwhelming support for the initiative, with 94% of respondents in favor of greater openness about salaries. This move aims to ensure that individuals, whether starting their careers or supporting families, understand the pay involved before investing time in an application, as highlighted by Burnham: “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.”
The effort to promote pay transparency is tied to the government’s broader goal of addressing the issue of nearly one million young people who are not in education, employment, or training, often referred to as “Neet.” This push comes ahead of the upcoming final report from the Milburn Review, which addresses youth inactivity. One of the intended benefits of requiring employers to publish salary details upfront is to reveal unjustified pay disparities, empower workers to challenge discrimination, and prevent conflicts over pay from escalating into disputes. These proposals mirror measures already planned for introduction within the European Union, where employers must disclose initial salary information in job advertisements or before interviews.
Analysis of UK job advertisements from the recruitment site Adzuna shows that, as of September, only 51% of postings included salary information—a figure that has been declining over recent years. Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, supports greater openness about pay, saying, “being open about pay should be the norm, not the exception,” and noted that job adverts featuring salary information tend to attract a larger and better-suited pool of applicants. Previous research by the CIPD, a human resources professional body, suggested that the public sector and charities were generally more transparent about pay than private companies, although they often listed pay ranges instead of exact figures. However, some pay ranges were found to be excessively broad, sometimes spanning over £10,000.
Neil Carberry, the CIPD’s chief executive, acknowledged that while sharing salary information is beneficial in theory, the practicalities can be more complex because pay often depends on factors such as the candidate’s skills and experience. Carberry argued that determining how to present salary details is “best left to good employer practice rather than government regulation.” Meanwhile, the government has committed to providing further information soon on what salary information will be required and how compliance will be monitored. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) also welcomed the move, describing it as a “positive step,” and recommended that employers be obliged to respond to pay-related questionnaires to help reduce discrimination. Currently, employers in the UK can ask candidates about their current salary, although applicants are not required to disclose this information. The EHRC further suggested that eliminating questions about current pay during job offers could help prevent ongoing wage discrimination rooted in an applicant’s salary history
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