Salaries on job adverts are about to become a legal requirement in the UK. On 5 November 2026 the government confirmed it will bring in a ‘say what you pay’ law, making every employer state what a job pays when they advertise it.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham put it simply: you should know what a job pays before you spend time applying. He has also asked employers not to wait for the law and to start showing salaries now.

Here is what the change means, when it is likely to land, and what employers and job seekers in the North East should do next.

What is the ‘say what you pay’ law?

It is a planned legal requirement for all employers to publish salary information in their job adverts. The government says it will bring the legislation forward as soon as possible, as part of a push to help young people starting work and to tackle pay inequality, including the gender pay gap.

The detail comes from the government’s equal pay consultation, which ran from July to October 2026. It proposed that:

• Every employer publishes pay information in its job adverts.
• Where a role is filled without an advert, the candidate gets the pay information in writing before the interview.
• The rules apply in England, Scotland and Wales.

What counts as ‘pay information’ is still being decided. The consultation asked whether employers should show a pay range, a specific salary or a benchmark rate. It also asked whether adverts should show the hours actually worked, not just contracted hours.

Why now?

Too many adverts still hide the money. HR DataHub’s analysis of 2.8 million UK job ads found that 24% leave salary out. CIPD research found only 41% of employers always publish salary ranges, and just 18% always publish a specific salary.

Job seekers have made their view clear. Totaljobs’ 2026 Salary Trends Report found that eight in ten candidates avoid applying for roles without salary details.

When does the salary on job adverts law start?

There is no start date yet. The government has committed to the law, but it still needs to pass legislation, publish the detailed rules and give employers time to prepare. Here is how we got here.

Our advice is the same as the Prime Minister’s: don’t wait for the deadline. Candidates already expect to see the salary, so the adverts that show it are winning the best applicants today.

What the new law means for employers

If you already publish salaries, very little changes. If you don’t, now is the time to get your pay structures ready, because a range you can’t defend will be on show to every applicant.

The upside is real. Showing the salary saves time on both sides, filters out applicants whose expectations don’t match, and builds trust from the first click. The Fawcett Society has long argued that pay secrecy makes it harder for women to negotiate fairly and challenge unequal pay.

Five steps to take now

1. Audit your live adverts. Find every advert that says ‘competitive’ or ‘DOE’ and replace it with a real figure or range.
2. Set a range for every role before you advertise. Benchmark it against the current market so you can explain it if asked.
3. Check your internal pay. If new starters will be advertised above existing staff, deal with that before the advert goes live.
4. Rethink salary history questions. The UK proposals don’t currently ban them, but the EHRC has recommended a ban and the EU already has one. Asking what someone earned before can carry old pay gaps into new roles.
5. Brief your hiring managers and recruitment partners. Everyone involved in hiring should be giving candidates the same pay information.

If you employ people in the EU, check your obligations now. UK businesses with EU-based staff are already covered by the EU Pay Transparency Directive.

What the new law means for job seekers

You will know what a job pays before you apply. No more guessing, no more getting to a second interview only to find the salary doesn’t work for you.

That matters most for people starting out, returning to work or changing career, who often have the least information to negotiate with. It also makes pay easier to compare across employers in the region.

Making the most of salary transparency

• Use the range to negotiate. If you meet everything in the advert, it’s reasonable to ask where in the range you’d sit and why.
• Compare the whole package. Salary is one part. Look at hours, holiday, pension, training and flexibility too.
• Keep a record. Save adverts and offer letters. They help if you ever have questions about fair pay later.
• Don’t wait for the law. Many employers, including us, already show salaries. Start your search with the ones that do.

How the UK compares with the EU

The UK plan is close to the EU’s, with one notable gap: it doesn’t yet ban salary history questions.

Our commitment: every We Are Zenith job ad shows the salary

At We Are Zenith, we always strive to be transparent, because recruitment works best when it’s open and honest. That’s why, from now on, every job ad we publish will show the salary. No ‘competitive’, no ‘depending on experience’, just the number or the range.

We’re not waiting for the new law to make this change. Candidates deserve to know what a role pays before they give up their time to apply. Employers get applicants who are already happy with the package. Everyone saves time, and everyone starts on a fair footing.

If you’re an employer in the North East and want help setting a fair, competitive salary range before the new rules land, talk to our team. If you’re looking for your next role, browse our live vacancies. As we update our adverts, you’ll see exactly what each role pays.

Frequently asked questions