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Campaigning for clear salary info on job ads in the UK

We campaign for social change on salary transparency on job ads in the UK, to create a fairer, more inclusive and accessible recruitment process for job applicants and to help level the playing field on pay gaps.

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About the campaign

 

Launched in January 2025, We Show the Salary is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company that brings together employers and stakeholders from across the UK to deliver lasting change in what's acceptable when it comes to job ads and salary information.

 

We want to see the end of job ads that say 'competitive salary' or 'salary depends on experience' without specifying the actual salary or salary range. It's time for employers to be upfront with this information, so that jobhunters can focus their job search on the right roles for them, and have a fair starting point for every application and recruitment journey.

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Our campaign highlights employers who are already doing the right thing by showing the salary on all of their job ads, and calls on more UK employers to join them.

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Why salary transparency on job ads matters

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Showing the salary or salary range helps to level the playing field on pay gaps by removing the expectation for the applicant to reveal their current salary – a practice which can perpetuate pay gaps for individuals who are currently under-paid for their work. In the USA, banning employers from asking job applicants about prior pay has been found to lead to substantial pay increases for Black (+13%) and female (+8%) candidates who took new jobs (Harvard Business Review, 2020).

 

Where a salary is open to negotiation, providing a salary range on the job ad provides a clear guide for the negotiation process. This helps to overcome negotiation biases that can perpetuate gender and racial pay gaps (see this useful evidence summary from Harvard Law School).

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The practice of withholding salary information from the job ad, but giving the information to people who contact you privately to ask for it, is also an important part of creating a level playing field for all applicants. 

 

Not showing the salary on job ads may be a common practice, but it entrenches inequalities.

 

Making the salary or salary range transparent at the job ad stage must be seen as an essential foundation for a fair recruitment process for all candidates, and is of particular importance for fair and equal treatment of groups that are most likely to be affected by pay gaps or face negotiation bias – including women, Black and ethnic minority candidates, people with disabilities, individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and people from LGBTQIA+ communities.


Showing the salary is also about showing respect for the individuals who are interested in working for you – for applicants, being able to see the salary or salary range at the job ad stage means they can decide whether the role will be a good financial fit for them. High quality job applications take time and effort, and it's unfair to expect applicants to take this step without knowing the salary. ​

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The current situation in the UK

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Salary transparency is at record low levels in the UK. In September 2024, the Adzuna UK Job Market Report showed that just 46.3% of jobs posted included the salary, the lowest proportion since they started tracking this data in 2016. But there are wide variations across different sectors – research from the Creative Careers Club in November 2024 found that 96% of the best known UK charities show the salary on their job ads, and 71% of the top publishing employers do too (including all of the top consumer trade publishers). But for news organisations, this figure drops to 21%, and only 10% of ad agencies include the salary on their job ads.

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In March 2022 the Conservative-led UK government announced a pilot project on pay transparency to "break down barriers for women", but these plans were abandoned in May 2024. Luckily, we don't need to rely on government pilot projects or legislation to drive lasting social change in this area – any UK employer can simply choose to do the right thing and include the salary the very next time they post a job ad, and continue from there.

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5 reasons for employers to #ShowTheSalary

 

  1. Showing the salary shows a commitment to levelling the playing field on pay gaps and creating a fair and inclusive recruitment process for all applicants.
     

  2. Knowing the salary means the applicant can decide if the role is a good financial fit for them, before they put time and effort into an application. Giving this information shows that you respect their time.
     

  3. Omitting the salary details undermines anything your job ad says about your organisation valuing diversity, or being an equitable and inclusive workplace where employees feel valued, or wanting to encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply. If these things are true, prove it by including the salary.
     

  4. Sharing the salary starts the recruitment process with trust and transparency, communicating that these values are important to your organisation. 
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  5. Not showing the salary will be a red flag for some potential applicants – meaning you’ll miss out on talent. 2024 data from Reed shows that job ads with salaries receive 60% more applications. And Creative Access found the same in 2023 – an analysis of 500 listings on their jobs board revealed that jobs where the employer chose to withhold the salary and list it as ‘competitive’ attracted nearly 40% fewer applicants than jobs that included salary information.

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Mission
Why it matters
Current situation
5 reasons

© 2025 Show the Salary CIC​

A Community Interest Company registered in England and Wales, company number 16186460​

Registered address 85 Great Portland Street, 1st floor, London W1W 7LT

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