Showing the salary could become a legal requirement in the UK
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
This week brought big news for everyone involved in the We Show the Salary campaign: the government has launched a consultation on preventing pay discrimination, which includes a proposal to require employers to include pay information in job adverts. Where there's no job advert, employers would instead have to give candidates this information in writing before the interview.
The consultation rightly highlights that many employers already publish pay ranges voluntarily – something which we focused on in our response to the government's 2025 call for evidence on this topic. Every employer who's taken the We Show the Salary pledge can count themselves as part of what the consultation describes as "a longstanding foundation of best practice to build on" – setting the standard that other employers now need to meet.
Every employer who's taken the We Show the Salary pledge can count themselves as part of what the consultation describes as "a longstanding foundation of best practice to build on" – setting the standard that other employers now need to meet.
The consultation's case for showing the salary
The consultation sets out two clear reasons for showing the salary on job ads, and also highlights the wider benefits to employers and jobseekers.
It changes employer behaviour before hiring starts. Requiring pay information in job ads encourages employers to evaluate roles and set pay more consistently before recruiting, which discourages opaque pay structures and pay inequity within organisations.
It addresses an information imbalance. Employers that don’t publish salary info in job ads hold pay data that candidates do not have access to at the point of application. This imbalance can enable discriminatory pay practices, with pay decisions influenced by stereotypes relating to gender, ethnicity or disability rather than the actual requirements of the role – resulting in lower pay for those groups.
It delivers wider benefits to jobseekers and employers. Beyond discrimination prevention, the consultation also cites broader benefits: candidates can make more informed decisions about where to apply, the job-matching process becomes more transparent, and employers can save time by filtering out candidates with mismatched pay expectations before the interview stage.
Implementation plans
The requirement for employers to publish pay information on job ads could be introduced through primary legislation, with the specific details set out later via a delegated power (the authority to make secondary regulations without a further Act of Parliament). These details might include the implementation timeline, limits on the size of published salary bands, and any exemptions.
While there’s no clear indication on when this legislation could come into force, the consultation says that the government will “seek an extended implementation period before any measures are commenced.” This suggests that once the change is brought into law, employers would likely be given significant time to comply.
Respond to the consultation
The consultation is asking for views on:
Whether respondents agree or disagree with requiring employers to publish pay information in job adverts, or in writing before interview where there is no advert.
The reasoning behind that answer.
What pay information or conditions would be proportionate to include – for example salary, collective bargaining provisions, annual adjustments, or other financial benefits.
What level of pay information should be required – for example a pay range, a specific salary, or a benchmark rate.
You can submit a consultation response here – the deadline is 5pm on 27 October 2026.
Join the employers already showing the salary
You don't need to wait for legislation to start making a difference. If your organisation already shows the salary on 100% of its job ads, you can take the We Show the Salary pledge and be recognised alongside the employers already setting the standard the consultation points to.
And if you're not quite there yet, you can join as an In Progress member to signal that your organisation is committed to getting there – putting you ahead of any future legal requirement, rather than waiting to be told.