Key facts
- Ministers have not decided what information must be published, which company sizes must comply, or how the rule will be enforced.
- The government said 93% of businesses responded positively to its consultation on the measure.
- TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said salary secrecy can lead to lower offers for women, minority ethnic and disabled workers.
- The government also announced Siemens Mobility will run a work experience program reaching 10,000 young people over three years.
- Further measures on youth employment are expected in the Milburn Review, due in the coming weeks.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on November 6, 2026 that employers will be legally required to publish salary information in job adverts, under plans the government announced. Burnham said legislation would be brought forward as soon as possible, and no date has been set for the changes to take effect.
The government has not decided exactly what information will have to be published, which size of company will have to comply, or how the rule will be enforced, according to the Guardian. Ministers first consulted in July on moves to improve how equal pay laws work, a document that also proposed greater equality protections for disabled people and ethnic minorities; final plans on those points have not been set out.
Estimates from the CIPD cited by the government suggest 41% of employers always publish salary ranges for roles, and fewer than one in five always publish specific salaries. The government said 93% of businesses responded positively to the consultation.
Burnham said: "Whether you're a young person starting out or a parent trying to support your family, you should know what a job pays before spending your time and effort applying for it." He called on businesses to put salaries on job adverts ahead of the law change.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the measure would help people get a foot in the door, and Trades Union Congress general secretary Paul Nowak said salary secrecy can lead to lower offers for women, minority ethnic and disabled workers.
The government also announced that Siemens Mobility is setting up a work experience program reaching 10,000 young people over three years. Further measures to help young people into work are expected in the Milburn Review, led by former health secretary Alan Milburn, due in the coming weeks.