Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced plans to make it a legal requirement for employers across the UK to include salary information in job advertisements.

The proposed legislation, unveiled on Thursday, November 5, forms part of the Government's wider efforts to improve pay transparency, tackle workplace inequalities and encourage more young people into employment. Under the proposed 'Say What You Pay' policy, employers would no longer be able to advertise vacancies without disclosing how much successful applicants could expect to earn.

Burnham said jobseekers should know what a position pays before investing their time and effort into an application. He says:

"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"

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The move comes amid concerns that salary information is frequently missing from recruitment adverts. Government figures, citing research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), suggest that just 41% of employers always publish salary ranges, while only 18% consistently disclose specific salaries. Ministers believe making pay information compulsory could help applicants make more informed decisions, particularly young people entering the workforce for the first time. The policy is also intended to address pay inequalities, particularly those affecting women, who can face disadvantages when negotiating salaries without knowing what employers are offering.

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According to the Government, greater transparency could make it easier for workers to identify unjustified differences in pay and challenge potential discrimination. The proposal has received support from campaigners and trade unions, with the Trades Union Congress (TUC) welcoming the plans as a step towards improving fairness in recruitment.

However, several details remain unclear, including whether employers will be required to publish exact salaries or salary ranges, which businesses will be covered and how the new rules will be enforced.

The Government has said it intends to introduce legislation as soon as possible, while encouraging businesses to start publishing salaries in their job adverts voluntarily rather than waiting for the law to come into effect.

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