The UK government will make it a legal requirement for employers to publish salaries in job advertisements, Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced, as part of efforts to help jobseekers and tackle pay inequality. Burnham said the move would end the frustration of applying for positions without knowing what they pay. Officials said publicising pay would also help people already in work determine whether they are being paid fairly compared with others.
Burnham said in a statement: "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. That's why we will make it a legal requirement for all employers to say what you pay." Workers' rights campaigners argued the measure would particularly help young people and women achieve more equal pay. Paul Nowak, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, said: "Anyone who's searched for a job knows how frustrating it is to read 'competitive salary'."
The announcement comes as part of Burnham's broader employment law reforms. The government consulted on the changes in July and said 93% of businesses responded positively to the consultation. However, ministers have not yet decided exactly what information will have to be published, which size of company will have to comply, or how the requirement will be enforced.
Research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development found less than half of employers always published salary ranges on job adverts, while less than a fifth always published specific salaries. Experts said omitting pay details from job adverts makes it harder for young people to know which jobs to apply for, and makes it easier for employers to offer lower pay to some candidates, including women.
The salary announcement is one of several "small fixes" Burnham has introduced during his early months in power, alongside removing VAT from electricity bills, reducing bus fares and a £100 council-tax rebate. The government is also working on a longer-term 10-year plan for change, which Burnham said this week could be delayed until next year. Ministers have promised further policy changes to help young people into work following a review by former minister Alan Milburn.