Unions hail new laws forcing employers to include salary in job ads

Unions and campaigners welcomed Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s announcement today that employers will be made to say how much they are prepared to pay new hires.

Legislation is expected to be brought forward, requiring employers to include salary information in their job adverts.

Mr Burnham said:

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.

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “It’s absolutely right that the government clamp down on this disrespectful practice.

Employers should be up front with potential recruits and clearly state how much a role will be paid.

He added the government “should also require employers to list flexible working options in every posting.”

Nishi Mayor, of the Youth Futures Foundation, said:

With one in eight 16 to 24-year-olds currently Neet (not in education, employment or training), it is right and important that government is consulting with employers to help make the path into work smoother for young people by removing barriers to entering the workplace.

Fawcett Society chief executive Penny East said:

Requiring employers to publish salaries in job adverts is a significant step towards making work fairer for women and tackling the gender pay gap.

Research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has previously found that around 27 per cent of employers never included salary information in their job adverts.

This article was first published in the Morning Star. We thank them for their kind permission to reproduce it here.