Most job adverts in the UK still leave the money out. "Competitive salary" and "salary depending on experience" have been the default for years, and until now there has been no legal reason to change that. It looks like the rules are about to catch up with what candidates have been asking for.
In July 2026 the Government opened a consultation proposing that employers publish pay information in job adverts. It sits inside a wider overhaul of the equal pay framework, and it is open for responses until 5pm on 27 October 2026. Nothing is law yet, and the Government has signaled a long implementation period, but the direction is clear enough that it is worth getting ahead of.
What the consultation actually proposes
The central idea is simple. Employers would be required to publish pay and conditions in job adverts. Where a role is filled without an advert, that information would have to be given to the candidate in writing before the interview stage.
A few details are worth knowing:
As drafted, the requirement would apply to all employers, not only larger ones.
"Pay and conditions" is wider than base salary. The consultation asks what should be covered, giving examples such as annual adjustments, collective bargaining provisions and other financial benefits.
How wide a published salary range is allowed to be has been left for future regulations. For most employers, that is the detail that will matter most.
Unlike the EU's Pay Transparency Directive, the UK proposal does not include a ban on asking candidates about their salary history.
That last point is useful context. The EU directive had to be written into national law across member states by 7 June 2026, but the UK is not bound by it after Brexit. What happens here will be shaped by this consultation and the regulations that follow. The Government has also said it wants to keep the burden on employers as low as possible.
Why salary transparency changes how candidates behave
Put the legislation to one side for a moment, because the practical effect shows up long before any law does.
A salary on the advert acts as a filter in both directions. Candidates who would never accept the figure self-select out, which saves everyone a first interview. Candidates who are genuinely interested arrive at the conversation already comfortable with the range, so the discussion moves on to the work, the team and whether the fit is right.
Leaving it blank does the opposite. Strong candidates who are already in decent jobs tend to skip adverts with no figure, because applying costs them time and the odds are unknown. That is particularly true in the engineering, technical and commercial roles where good people are not short of options.
There is an internal effect too. Once ranges are public, your current team can see them, and a new starter advertised above a colleague doing the same job will be noticed. Employers who publish salaries usually find they have to tidy up pay anomalies first, which is a large part of why the change is being proposed at all.
What employers can do before the rules change
There is no need to wait for legislation to start preparing, and a long implementation period is an opportunity rather than a reason to delay.
Look at what you already pay. Compare people doing the same or similar work. Where differences exist, make sure you can explain them on something other than who negotiated hardest.
Agree a defensible range for each role before it goes to advert, along with what would move someone to the top of it.
Decide what else you would publish. Pension, bonus, shift allowances and holiday all shape how an offer is read, and the consultation suggests they may form part of what has to be disclosed.
Brief your hiring managers so everyone quotes the same figures. Mixed messages between an advert, a recruiter and an interviewer cost offers.
Respond to the consultation if this will affect how you hire. It closes on 27 October 2026, and smaller businesses are often under-represented in the responses.
A sensible view of it
Some employers worry that publishing salaries hands an advantage to competitors and to candidates in negotiations. In practice, salary information circulates anyway, through job boards, recruiters, professional networks and former colleagues. Publishing a considered range gives you control over the number people see, rather than leaving them to guess from a rival's advert.
If you are thinking about how to pitch a salary for a role you are about to recruit for, or you want a view on what similar positions are paying across South Yorkshire and the wider region, we are always happy to talk it through. You can also browse our current vacancies to see the sort of roles we are working on.
