Equal Pay Day 2018: keep salaries secret to close gender gap

To mark Equal Pay Day - the point in the year women effectively stop being paid to work - new research suggests that not disclosing current salaries during the recruitment process could help to close the gender pay gap.

Ruth Holmes

9 November 2018

In a bid to support wider moves to close the gender pay gap, new research published today suggests hiring managers believe interviewees should not be asked to disclose their salary.The study of 106 hiring managers and candidates across the creative, design and tech industries found that 75% of hiring managers believe interviewees should not be asked to disclose their current salary. Almost every candidate (98%) also felt as though they haven’t been paid their worth.

What is the gender pay gap in the creative sector?

Recruiter Major Players’ annual Salary Survey finds a 23% gender pay gap in favour of men across the creative, tech and design industries.Seventy per cent of responses admitted that they feel there is a gender pay difference in their sector with the most significant being advertising, media, creative and marketing. Half of people questioned were female, with 73% admitting they feel there is a gender pay gap in their industry. Likewise, 73% of males agreed they believe there is a gender pay gap in their industry.

What can recruiters do to help close the gender pay gap?

Three-quarters of hiring managers believe that it should be mandatory to refrain from asking candidates to disclose their current salary in an interview.Almost a quarter (23%) of hiring managers said they have already faced a situation where a candidate refused to disclose their salary. Almost half added (43%) they are very likely to implement the initiative. To celebrate Equal Pay Day, Major Players have launched #EarnYourWorth that calls for hiring managers and recruiters to stop asking candidates to disclose their salary. “If you know you're worth more you will get more,” said one jobseeker. “Good hiring managers should be able to judge a candidates ability and value by more relevant questions.”Head to our HR section for more news and insight.

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