The better the job pays, the less likely the advert tells you
Most adverts for higher-paid roles leave the salary out: only 24% of employers state it on jobs paying £52k and up. Here’s what our data shows.
Let's talk about pay transparency. Or rather, the lack of it.
For minimum-wage roles, more than half of employers don't say what's on offer. Strangely, the trend is the higher the pay, the quieter the advert. The only real exception is for temporary work, where employers state the pay more than half the time.
- 45% of employers put the pay in adverts for minimum-wage jobs. For jobs paying £52k a year and up, it falls to 24%.
- Temp jobs are the exception: 56% of employers state the pay, against 34% for permanent jobs and 28% for agency jobs.
- Agency jobs paying £52k and up are the least likely to show the pay: 13%.
| Job normally pays | All | Temp | Permanent | Agency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum wageunder £27k a year (£13 an hour) | 45% | 71% | 47% | 42% |
| £27k to £31k a year£13 to £15 an hour | 38% | 57% | 39% | 25% |
| £31k to £42k a year£15 to £20 an hour | 31% | 53% | 32% | 36% |
| £42k to £52k a year£20 to £25 an hour | 27% | 50% | 25% | 24% |
| £52k a year and up£25+ an hour | 24% | 29% | 24% | 13% |
| All jobs | 33% | 56% | 34% | 28% |
The problem with this is people often use salaries to help understand if it is right for them, as it helps support the seniority of the role and for them to know if it matches their career move expectations.
The government believes this needs reviewing and is consulting on making it a legal requirement to put pay in job adverts. Their reasoning is to stop pay discrimination before it happens, close the information gap with candidates, and save people time applying for roles that won't work for them. Consultation closes 27th October 2026.
Our take is that both Talent and companies should state what they want in an open, anonymous market. This would let the market set the rate, supported by real data on what people are actually being paid.
Is making pay in adverts a legal requirement the right move? Or is it a blunt instrument that will just result in wide ranges?
First posted on LinkedIn.
