Prime Minister Andy Burnham is urging businesses to voluntarily publish salary information in job adverts ahead of legislation that will make the practice compulsory. According to BBC News, the government intends to bring forward pay-transparency rules "as soon as possible", arguing that the shift will benefit jobseekers—particularly those entering the workforce for the first time—and may help reduce pay discrimination.
The Cabinet Office conducted a consultation on pay transparency and discrimination reduction during the summer, and the government reported "overwhelming support" for the initiative, with 94% of respondents in favour. The government's announcement indicates that the requirement will apply to all employers, though specifics regarding scope, required information and enforcement mechanisms remain to be determined.
Burnham framed the change as essential for jobseekers.
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 initiative forms part of broader efforts to address the nearly one million young people classified as not in education, employment or training (Neet), with the government's Milburn Review on youth inactivity due to report later in November 2026.
Financial Secretary to the Treasury James Murray described the proposal as
an important common sense reformduring an interview with the BBC. Speaking to Radio 4's Today programme, he emphasised that pay
shouldn't be a guessing gameand acknowledged the frustration jobseekers experience when applying for positions without knowing compensation details.
Why salary transparency matters
Making pay details public upfront could
expose unjustified differences in pay, give workers greater confidence to challenge discrimination and prevent disagreements over pay escalating into disputes, according to government statements. The move also aligns with recent recommendations from the UK's equality watchdog. The UK's human rights watchdog has called for workers to have a legal right to know colleagues' pay to combat discrimination, and the Equality and Human Rights Commission has also recommended that employers be prevented from asking applicants about their current salary to prevent historical discrimination from continuing.
Data from UK jobs website Adzuna reveals that only 51% of adverts on its platform in September contained salary information, though this proportion has declined in recent years. Adzuna co-founder Andrew Hunter argued that transparency regarding compensation
should be the norm, not the exception, adding that employers who disclose salaries
attract more applicants, and better-suited ones.
What do employers currently do?
Research from the CIPD, an industry body representing human resources professionals, shows that the public sector and charities are more inclined to reveal pay information than private firms, with pay ranges appearing more frequently than specific salary figures. However, the research found that not all employers maintained full transparency, with some pay ranges exceeding £10,000 in width.
According to government data, the CIPD estimates that 41% of employers always publish salary ranges, while only 18% always publish specific salaries; notably, 93% of businesses responding to the government consultation supported the proposal. This suggests strong employer backing for the measure, despite some reservations about implementation.
Why some employers have concerns
CIPD chief executive Neil Carberry acknowledged that disclosing salary details was
a good thingin principle, but contended that execution was
more complicatedin practice. He explained that employers often lack a single fixed salary figure, preferring instead to determine compensation based on a candidate's skills, experience and potential. Carberry further argued that the process of drafting job adverts is
best left to good employer practice rather than government regulation, suggesting that voluntary adoption would be preferable to legislative requirements.
International precedent
The government's approach mirrors measures already being implemented across the European Union. Employers in Europe must disclose the initial pay or range for new roles, with this information either included in published job adverts or shared before an interview takes place. The EU's pay-transparency rules required member states to implement these requirements in national law by June 2026, establishing a precedent that the UK government is now following.
What happens next?
The government has committed to setting out further details on required information and enforcement mechanisms
in due course, but has not announced a specific timeline. Legislation is expected to be brought forward
as soon as possible, though no date has been confirmed. The Milburn Review on youth inactivity, which is examining broader employment and skills issues, is scheduled to deliver its final report later in November 2026, potentially providing additional context for the government's employment policy agenda.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has also recommended that employers be required to respond to questionnaires from workers seeking information about colleagues' pay, a measure that could accompany the salary-disclosure legislation. Currently, employers in the UK face no obligation to respond to employee requests for salary information about co-workers, and applicants are under no obligation to disclose their current compensation when asked during recruitment.
