A significant majority of Europeans do not know how much they would be paid when they apply for a job because salary information is not included in the job advert. Applicants spend considerable time and effort on an application, including attending interviews. In some cases, they also take practical skills tests.
However, they may still not know the salary until the recruitment process is successful. They may also have little idea of what other people in the same workplace are paid.
This can lead to pay discrimination and a wider gender pay gap, according to the European Commission. To address these issues, the EU adopted the Pay Transparency Directive. The deadline for implementing the directive was 7 June this year. However, most EU countries have failed to meet it.
Italy is the only country among the major European economies to have implemented it. The result is very clear, according to global hiring platform Indeed. The share of job postings containing salary information in Italy rose from 26% in July 2025 to 61% in July this year.
Italy now has the highest share of job adverts with salary information among the five largest European economies.
