Pay transparency: all the latest changes
16 December 2025 · 4 min reading time
Join Staffmatch
See job offersSummarize this article with
Salary remains one of the most sensitive topics in the workplace. It is sometimes compared quietly between colleagues, discussed during annual reviews, but it is rarely fully clear. Many employees know how much they earn without always knowing whether their pay is consistent with their role, their experience or that of colleagues in comparable positions.
This is precisely the grey area that European Directive 2023/970 aims to reduce. France must transpose this text by June 7, 2026, with a clear objective: to strengthen equal pay between women and men for the same work or work of equal value.
The reform will not make individual salaries public. Employees will not be able to freely consult a colleague’s payslip. However, they will be able to obtain more information about pay criteria, average salary levels and possible pay gaps within the company.
Will employees be able to know the exact salary of their colleagues?
No. This is the most important point to clarify.
Pay transparency will not give employees access to the individual salary of an identified colleague. An employee will therefore not be able to ask their employer exactly how much someone in their team earns. Pay remains personal and confidential information.
However, employees will be able to obtain information on average pay levels for comparable roles or roles of equal value. This data should make it possible to identify potential pay gaps between women and men.
The nuance is essential: the aim is not to know exactly how much a colleague earns, but to understand whether one’s own pay fits within a coherent and non-discriminatory pay structure.
Why is this reform happening now?
Pay transparency is not entirely new. In France, companies are already subject to certain obligations, notably through the gender equality index. But the European directive goes further because it acts directly on access to information.
Today, an employee may struggle to understand why their salary has barely changed, why a raise has been refused or why two similar roles are not paid in the same way. On the candidate side, the lack of clarity is also common: many job offers still mention “salary depending on profile” or “pay based on experience”, without giving any concrete indication.
With the new rules, companies will have to explain their pay practices more clearly. Salary will no longer be only a matter of individual negotiation, but also of objective criteria that the employer must be able to justify.
What will change for candidates?
The most visible change will concern recruitment.
Candidates will have to receive clear information about the proposed pay or the salary range for the position. This information must be provided in the job offer or before the first interview.
The objective is simple: to prevent candidates from discovering the salary too late, after several exchanges with the company. This will make it easier to assess whether the role matches their expectations before committing to the recruitment process.
For recruiters, this will also require more clarity from the start. Job ads that remain too vague about pay may no longer be sufficient, especially when they do not allow candidates to position themselves clearly.
Previous salary will no longer be requested
Another important change: employers will no longer be allowed to ask candidates how much they earned in previous roles.
This practice can perpetuate pay inequalities. A person who was underpaid in a previous company may receive a new offer based on an already unfavorable salary, rather than on the real value of the position.
The discussion will therefore have to focus on other criteria: the proposed duties, level of responsibility, experience, expected skills, labor market conditions or the company’s internal pay scales.
For candidates, this is an important shift. They will no longer have to justify their previous salary, but rather defend pay that is consistent with the position offered.
What employees will be able to ask their employer
Employees already in post will also be able to obtain more information.
The company must be able to explain the criteria used to determine salaries and pay progression. These criteria may relate to experience, skills, level of responsibility, seniority, performance or specific constraints linked to the role.
This could change the way employees prepare a pay raise request. An employee will no longer have to settle for a vague answer such as “now is not the right time”. They will be able to ask which criteria determine their pay level and what would allow them to progress.
Two employees may still be paid differently. But the company must be able to explain that difference using objective, consistent and non-discriminatory elements.
What happens if the pay gap is above 5%?
The directive provides for a specific mechanism when a pay gap of more than 5% is identified between women and men within the same category of employees.
This gap will not automatically be illegal. A difference may be justified by experience, level of responsibility, rare skills, particular performance or specific constraints linked to the role.
However, if the company cannot justify this gap using objective and non-discriminatory criteria, it will have to take corrective measures. In some cases, a joint pay assessment may be carried out with employee representatives.
The issue is therefore not only to measure gaps, but also to explain or correct them.
Which companies will be affected?
All companies will be affected by changes in practices, particularly in recruitment and in the way pay criteria are explained.
Reporting obligations will, however, depend on company size. Companies with more than 250 employees will be the most directly concerned by the regular transmission of information on pay gaps between women and men.
Companies with 100 to 249 employees will also be concerned, with a more gradual timetable. Smaller companies should not be subject to the same regular reporting obligations, but they will still be affected by the new expectations of candidates and employees.
Even without such extensive publication obligations, a company that refuses any form of pay transparency may appear less attractive on the job market.
What this changes for a pay raise request
The reform may also change annual reviews.
Today, a pay raise request is often based on individual arguments: seniority, results, involvement or market comparison. Tomorrow, employees will also be able to question the company’s pay logic.
They will be able to ask why their pay is set at a certain level, which criteria allow progression, or how their role is compared with equivalent positions.
This does not mean that raises will become automatic. But employers will have to explain their decisions more clearly. For employees, this is an important change: negotiation will rely less on uncertainty and more on visible criteria.
What companies need to prepare
For companies, pay transparency is not simply about adding a salary range to job offers.
They will need to review their pay scales, identify existing gaps and ensure that differences in pay are based on objective criteria. Managers will also need to be prepared, as they are often the ones who will answer questions during annual reviews or pay raise discussions.
The topic can create tension if it is not properly handled. Communicating figures without explaining the rules may fuel comparisons and frustration.
Conversely, a clear pay policy can strengthen trust. A pay difference is easier to understand when it is based on known, consistent and fairly applied criteria.
Key takeaways
Pay transparency will not allow employees to freely know the exact salary of their colleagues. However, it will give them more tools to understand their pay, ask for explanations and identify possible unjustified gaps.
For candidates, the change will be visible from the recruitment stage: pay or the salary range will have to be communicated earlier, and previous salary will no longer be used as a starting point for negotiation.
For companies, the stakes are important: clarifying pay scales, documenting gaps and explaining pay decisions. In 2026, salary will remain a sensitive topic, but it should become much less opaque.
Similar articles
Labor Law
Net Social Amount: Decipher your payslip
04 March 2025 · 4 min reading time
Net Social Amount 2025: Your guide to understanding and using this key information on your payslip.
Labor Law
What are the employer contributions in 2026?
24 April 2026 · 3 min reading time
Discover everything you need to know about employer contributions: their role, the different types, the applicable rates in 2026, and the exemption schemes to reduce labor costs for businesses.
Advice
Understanding the difference between gross and net salary
11 February 2026 · 3 min reading time
Understand the gross-net difference, social contributions, and income tax withholding. Your clear guide to reading your payslip better.
Become a temp worker with Staffmatch!
OUR MOBILE APPS
Download the temp worker app
Download the business appDownload our temp worker appDownload our business app
Download the temp worker appDownload the business appDownload our temp worker appDownload our business app