British employers are the most likely among major European countries to include salary details in job advertisements, with 71% doing so compared to just 16% in Germany, according to
research from recruitment platform Indeed published on Tuesday.
The proportion of UK job postings featuring salary information has steadily increased from 48% in 2019. Although pay transparency has also risen across Europe, significant disparities between countries remain.
"The culture around pay secrecy and negotiation is a bigger factor in some countries than others," said Indeed economist Jack Kennedy.
In 2026, the European Union will implement a new law requiring employers to disclose salary details either in job postings or before an initial interview. This initiative aims to address pay disparities, particularly those linked to gender and ethnicity.
The UK does not have a similar legal mandate for pay transparency. However, British courts ruled last year that retail chain Next had engaged in discrimination by paying retail staff—predominantly female—less than warehouse workers, who were mostly male, for work deemed of equal value. Next is currently appealing the ruling.
In several European countries, such as Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands, pay levels for certain sectors are determined by publicly available collective bargaining agreements. However, even factoring in these agreements, only 24% of job postings in Germany disclose salary details.
Pay transparency in UK job advertisements varies significantly by sector. According to Indeed, more than 90% of nursing and social care roles disclose pay information, while fewer than 35% of job ads in finance, technology, and engineering—industries that are typically higher paid and male-dominated—include salary details. Public-sector jobs and roles close to the minimum wage are also more likely to provide pay information.
A similar trend is observed across Europe, with lower-paid and public-sector jobs more likely to disclose salary information than higher-paying roles with less standardized duties.
Indeed actively encourages employers to include salary details in job postings, but some remain reluctant, particularly for high-paying roles where responsibilities and qualifications vary widely.
"Some employers are concerned that it could foster discontent if it uncovers significant variations within the existing workforce," Kennedy noted.
Indeed, a subsidiary of Japan’s Recruit Holdings, is the world’s most-visited job site. Photo by Phil Whitehouse, Wikimedia commons.