Andy Burnham urges firms to publish salaries in job adverts

On Thursday Prime Minister Andy Burnham urged companies to start listing salaries in job adverts now, rather than wait for a new law that will soon make the practice mandatory. The call came during a BBC interview in which Burnham said the current system is “weighted against the applicant” and that publishing pay details would help job‑seekers, especially young people applying for their first role. He added that the move could also narrow the gender pay gap and urged MPs to follow the same practice when hiring staff.

The government is fast‑tracking legislation that would require pay information in all new job adverts, saying it will be introduced “as soon as possible”. The push follows a recent ruling by the UK’s equality watchdog that employees should be able to find out colleagues’ earnings, and it ties into the Milburn Review’s upcoming report on youth inactivity. Officials argue that transparent salaries will stop pay discrimination, give workers confidence to challenge unfair offers and reduce disputes over pay. They also link the measure to efforts to lower the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training.

Industry reaction has been mixed. A trade body warned that setting a salary is often a complex process and that a one‑size‑fits‑all rule may not suit every sector. Nevertheless, a Cabinet Office consultation launched last summer received overwhelming support, with 94 % of respondents backing greater pay transparency. Data from jobs site Adzuna show that just over half of adverts in September included salary information, a share that has been slipping in recent years. The UK’s new rules echo similar requirements already rolling out across the European Union, where employers must disclose an initial pay range in adverts or before an interview.

Burnham said the government’s request is a voluntary step before the law takes effect, but he framed it as the right thing to do. “Whether you’re a young person starting out or a parent trying to support a family, you should know what a job pays before you spend time applying,” he said. If firms adopt the practice early, the government hopes the data will expose unjustified pay gaps and help close the gender pay divide. The legislation is expected to be debated in Parliament within weeks, and employers are being urged to adjust their recruitment processes now to avoid a rushed scramble when the law finally arrives.