EU pay transparency: Are job ads finally getting honest about salaries?

When applying for a job in Europe, many individuals are unaware of the salary they would receive, as employers often omit this information from job advertisements. Applicants invest significant time and resources into their applications, including attending interviews and completing practical skill tests, yet they may still be uncertain about the salary until the recruitment process concludes. This lack of transparency can contribute to pay discrimination and widen the gender pay gap, according to the European Commission.

To tackle these issues, the EU implemented the Pay Transparency Directive, with a deadline of 7 June this year. However, most EU countries have missed this deadline. Italy is the only major European economy to have successfully implemented the directive. A global hiring platform, Indeed, reports that the share of job postings containing salary information in Italy increased from 26% in July 2025 to 61% in July 2026.

Italy now has the highest percentage of job adverts with salary information among the five largest European economies.

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) criticizes the delay in meeting the deadline, stating that it betrays working women. They argue that pay secrecy grants employers all the power, leaving women and their trade unions without the essential information needed to advocate for themselves. The gender pay gap in the EU stands at 11.1% in 2024, meaning that for every €100 earned by men, women earn approximately €88.9 on average. This disparity costs women in the EU €358 billion annually, equivalent to around €3,900 per woman.