EU Pay Transparency Directive rollout faces uneven adoption across member states

The EU Pay Transparency Directive, which entered force on 7 June 2026, obliges employers to publish salary ranges in job ads, report gender pay gaps and shift the burden of proof in discrimination cases onto companies. Eurostat data show women’s average gross hourly earnings remain 11.1 % lower than men’s across the EU, a gap that has barely changed in a decade. The European Commission warned that delayed transposition harms competitiveness and gender‑equality goals, and can trigger infringement proceedings under Article 258 of the EU Treaty.

Only a few countries – Italy, Slovakia and Lithuania – had fully incorporated the rules by the deadline; Belgium, Malta and Poland applied them partially; the Netherlands postponed implementation to January 2027; Ireland, Estonia, Austria, Hungary and Luxembourg are still lagging or have not begun the process. The directive targets firms with 100 or more employees, with lighter, phased requirements for smaller businesses. Beyond gender, the new pay data could reveal disparities affecting younger, migrant, disabled and other workers, offering a broader tool for addressing wage inequality in the EU labour market.