EU Pay Transparency Directive Delayed in Germany, Prompting Calls for Revision in Austria

The German federal government announced it will not meet the EU pay‑transparency deadline of 7 June. Core reporting obligations are now pushed back to mid‑2028, with the start of the rule set for early 2027. A spokeswoman for the Federal Family Ministry said additional negotiations are needed, while former families minister Lisa Paus (Greens) criticised the delay, stating, “We all want Equal Pay” and noting that Germany’s gender‑pay gap remains at 16 %.

In Austria, the liberal NEOS party has demanded a “Stop the Clock” procedure at the European Commission to extend the deadline and overhaul the directive. NEOS economic spokesman Markus Hofer warned that a rushed implementation would create “paper‑work without lasting benefit,” and the party seeks to focus on an individual right to request salary information rather than broad reporting duties.

A concurrent analysis of job postings shows Germany lags behind other EU states in salary transparency, with only 12.5 % of IT job ads displaying pay ranges. The EU directive, adopted in 2023, still lacks transposition into national law in Germany, underscoring the broader challenge of achieving pay equity across the bloc.