Salaries in job adverts will become a legal requirement: what it means for you

In a press release published by 10 Downing Street, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the government will make publishing salaries in job adverts a legal requirement for all employers. The aim, in the government's words, is that jobseekers ‘will no longer have to apply for jobs without knowing what they pay’, with young people looking for a first job and women returning to work named as those who lose most from hidden pay.

• Why now: the government cites the CIPD's 2024 pay transparency report, which estimates that only 41% of employers always publish salary ranges and 18% always publish specific salaries.
• Support: early analysis of the government's consultation, launched by the Cabinet Office in the summer, shows 94% of respondents backing the requirement, including 93% of businesses.
• Timing: legislation will be brought forward ‘as soon as possible’. Until then, the Prime Minister is asking employers to ‘say what you pay’ voluntarily.
• Still to come: the scope of the rule, exactly what information adverts must show (a range or a figure), how it will be implemented and how it will be enforced.

Some business groups are less keen: one told the BBC that drafting job adverts is best left to good employer practice. The Equality and Human Rights Commission, for its part, had called salaries in job adverts a ‘positive step’ the week before.

Nothing is mandatory yet. Until the law is passed and in force, an advert can still say ‘competitive salary’ or show no pay at all. The announcement does not say yet how the rule will apply in Northern Ireland, where most employment law is devolved.

One right already exists in England, Wales and Scotland: under section 77 of the Equality Act 2010, a clause in your contract that stops you discussing your pay is unenforceable when you share or ask about pay to find out whether there is discrimination. At present, though, an employer does not have to answer a request about what your colleagues earn.

1. Research the going rate first. The National Careers Service job profiles show an average salary range for each role, and similar adverts that do show pay give you the local market. For entry-level hourly jobs, the legal floor is the National Living Wage; our page on the minimum wage increase covers the April 2027 rates.
2. Ask early, politely. A short message to the recruiter is normal: ‘Could you share the salary range for this role before I apply?’. Many will answer, and the question will soon be unnecessary.
3. Leave pay off your CV. Your current salary and your expectations do not belong on a UK CV. If an advert asks for them, put them in the application form or the cover letter, in one sentence, as a range.
4. Prepare the interview question. ‘What are your salary expectations?’ is easier with a researched range and one reason behind it (experience, a qualification, the cost of living in the area). Our guide on how to prepare for an interview covers the other classic questions.

Seeing the salary up front saves time on both sides: you apply only to the roles that pay what you need, and employers receive fewer applications that end at the offer stage. The government also presents the measure as a way to close the gender pay gap, since hidden pay leaves candidates to ‘negotiate blind’. It sits alongside other plans to help young people into work: the final report of the Milburn Review into youth inactivity is expected in the coming weeks.

• The government's full response to its pay consultation, with the details of the rule: date not announced.
• The bill, to be introduced in Parliament ‘as soon as possible’: we will add the start date and the enforcement rules here as soon as they are published.
• The Milburn Review final report on youth inactivity: expected in the coming weeks.