Fewer than half of employers always list salary ranges, research finds
Employers will be legally required to publish salaries on job adverts under an announcement by Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Friday, the government’s latest “small fix” aimed at improving people’s daily lives.
Burnham said his government would bring in a legal requirement for companies to say what they pay when listing new jobs. “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,” he said. “That’s why we will make it a legal requirement for all employers to say what you pay.”
“But breaking down barriers is only one part of the job,” he added. “We also need businesses to open more doors and give young people the experience and confidence to take that first step into the world of work.”
The prime minister said the change would address the frustration of applying for a job without knowing the salary, and officials said publicising pay would help people already in work know whether they are being paid fairly in comparison with others. Campaigners say the requirement will help young people and women in particular achieve more equal pay.
The announcement follows recent research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development that found fewer than half of employers always publish salary ranges on job adverts, while fewer than a fifth always publish specific salaries.
Experts say 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 give lower pay offers to some candidates, including women.
Paul Nowak, the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, said: “Anyone who’s searched for a job knows how frustrating it is to read ‘competitive salary’.”
Burnham has spent much of his first few months in power announcing a series of “small fixes” to improve people’s daily lives while promising more radical change to come. The changes have included removing VAT from electricity bills, reducing bus fares and a £100 council tax rebate announced at the budget.
In other developments on Friday, Burnham said he wants to “recast” the UK’s deal to cede control of the Chagos Islands after resistance from Washington, which said the agreement could instead be modelled on America’s Greenland deal with Denmark.
A Labour MP has warned that changes to the migration system proposed by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood could harm women and children, as members of the home secretary’s own party continue to raise concerns about the proposals.
The European Union is also seeking a firmer pledge from the British government to guarantee European students discounted rates on university tuition fees before a much-anticipated summit this month.