France prepares law to implement EU salary‑transparency directive
The European Union's 2023/970 directive on pay transparency, which obliges companies to publish salary ranges in job ads, prohibit asking candidates about past pay, and make internal wage data available by gender, is being transposed into French law. France missed the June 7 deadline to incorporate the rules and the government announced that a draft bill of 22 articles will be sent to the Conseil d’État by Sunday, with a parliamentary vote targeted before the end of the year.
Labour Minister Jean‑Pierre Farandou said the process has now been launched. Trade‑union representatives, including CFDT secretary‑general Béatrice Lestic and CGT leader Sophie Binet, urged a "faithful transposition" of the directive to combat gender‑based pay gaps, which remain at about 14 % overall in France. Employer groups, such as METI and Poujoulat CEO Frédéric Coirier, warned that the measures could create additional costs and administrative burdens, describing the proposal as a potential "monster of complexity".
If enacted, the law aims to reduce salary discrimination and increase pay equity between men and women in both the public and private sectors.