Nearly a third of jobseekers avoid job adverts without salary bands, Gi Group finds

Nearly a third (31.8%) of jobseekers were put off applying for roles where no salary band was shown, research from Gi Group found.

81% said including salary information in an advert was a sign of a fair and progressive employer.

Andy Carpenter, managing director at Gi Group, said: “Salary transparency across the recruitment sector has been on the decline over the last decade, causing negative sentiment to build for candidates. As a recruiter we see both sides of the fence.

“From a candidate’s point of view, they want to ensure they are being paid not only fairly but competitively, whereas for an employer they want the best value for money and sometimes being completely transparent with salary banding can cost businesses more. 

“In our experience, publishing salary banding alone doesn’t really serve anyone.”

Carpenter added: “While we welcome the government’s review into a more transparent recruitment ecosystem, what we think would be more helpful to both the employer and candidate is better transparency around employment benefits and package as a whole rather than a sole focus on salary.

“There is currently no mandate in the UK which forces employers to include pay transparency in job adverts, however we do see employers commonly publishing pay ranges rather than specific salaries.

“In 2026, the role of the recruiter is still very much that crucial link which connects candidates to employers.”