Employers in the UK will be required to state the salary in job adverts under a new “say what you pay” law announced by the government on Wednesday.
The plan, announced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, is intended to stop jobseekers wasting time on roles they cannot afford to take, and to help young people in particular find work. The government says legislation will be brought forward as soon as possible, although it has not set a date for the rule to take effect.
At present, many adverts give no figure at all, using phrases such as “competitive salary” or “salary dependent on experience”. The government says only 41 percent of employers always publish salary ranges. A public consultation found 94 percent of respondents backed a duty to be transparent about pay.
The announcement is part of a wider push on youth employment. One in eight people aged 16 to 24 in the UK is not in education, employment or training. The government has set a target of 200,000 work experience opportunities, starting with a commitment from Siemens Mobility to provide 10,000 placements, and it also plans 1,300 new neighbourhood youth centres.
Ministers argue that putting pay in the advert will make the jobs market fairer: applicants will be able to compare roles properly before applying, and employers will be less able to use vague wording to hide low pay. The measure is aimed in particular at young applicants, who are often applying for their first jobs and have the least information about what a role should pay.
Sources: GOV.UK; BBC.
