EU wage‑transparency directive mandates salary ranges in job ads from June 2026

The European Union’s wage‑transparency directive will become law in June 2026. It obliges employers to publish salary ranges in all vacancy advertisements and gives employees a legal right to receive information on the average pay for comparable positions. The rule builds on Germany’s existing Entgelttransparenz law (sections 10‑12), which already allows workers in firms of 200+ staff to request pay data for the opposite gender in similar roles.

Implementation will require companies to adapt HR systems, document pay structures and ensure the disclosed ranges are defensible. While the measure aims to narrow the gender pay gap and make negotiations more data‑driven, businesses warn of increased administrative burden and potential privacy or compliance issues. German courts have recently limited the scope of pay‑information requests to the previous calendar year, tempering the demand on employers.

The directive is expected to reshape recruitment practices across the EU, influencing salary negotiations and potentially leading to more equitable starting wages.