The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has backed, in principle, requiring employers to publish pay information in job adverts, in a response published on Tuesday 10 November 2026.

The CMA was responding to the Office for Equality and Opportunity's consultation on reform of the current equal pay framework. It said it was broadly supportive of improving pay transparency in recruitment and supports, in principle, requiring employers to publish pay information in job adverts.

At the same time, the competition watchdog warned that the requirement should be designed carefully, so that sharing certain types of pay information does not harm competition. Its response sets out two design options: a binding minimum salary, or a pay range with a binding minimum and an indicative upper bound.

The CMA said those options may offer the best balance between improving information for jobseekers, promoting competition and allowing people to negotiate their pay.

The 'say what you pay' plan

The CMA response follows the Government's announcement on 5 November 2026 that it will make publishing salaries in job adverts a legal requirement under a scheme called "say what you pay". Prime Minister Andy Burnham said at the time: "Whether you're a young person starting out or a parent trying to support your family, you should know what a job pays before spending your time and effort applying for it."

Legislation is to be brought forward as soon as possible, the Government said, and employers are being urged to publish salaries in adverts now rather than wait for the law to change. No start date has been given, and details on what must be disclosed, which employers are covered and how the rules will be enforced are still to be set out.

A Cabinet Office consultation launched in the summer found 94 per cent of respondents backed greater transparency, including 93 per cent of businesses. The Equality and Human Rights Commission described publishing salaries in job adverts as a positive step, and Minister for Women and Equalities Bridget Phillipson said mandatory disclosure would help jobseekers judge whether a role offered enough financial security.

Most adverts still hide the pay

Figures cited by the Government show how patchy pay disclosure is at present. Research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development found that only 41 per cent of employers always publish salary ranges, and only 18 per cent always publish a specific salary.

Data from jobs website Adzuna, cited by the BBC, showed that 51 per cent of adverts on its site in September 2026 carried salary information, and that the proportion has been falling in recent years. Employers who include salaries tend to attract more applicants, Adzuna told the BBC.

The Government has framed the change as part of efforts to help nearly one million young people aged 16 to 24 who are not in education, employment or training, known as NEET. Around 13 per cent of that age group falls into the category. Further reforms are expected after the final report of the Milburn Review into youth inactivity, which is due in the coming weeks.

What happens next

For now, employers face no new legal duty: publishing pay remains voluntary until legislation is passed. The CMA's intervention adds weight to the plan while flagging a design question ministers will need to settle, namely whether adverts should state a single binding minimum or a range.

Jobseekers should therefore still expect many adverts to omit pay for the time being, and the Government has promised further details on scope, enforcement and timing in due course.

Sources: GOV.UK (CMA response) and HRreview.