The dissemination of salary information in job offers has accelerated especially after 7 June 2026, the deadline set for the transposition of the European directive on salary transparency. According to TalentUp research, throughout the EU the share of advertisements accompanied by an indication of salary has more than doubled, going from 10.5% in May to 22.8% in August. A significant growth which, however, has not yet radically changed the habits of companies: over three out of four offers, equal to 77.2% of the total, continue to not specify the expected remuneration. Italy is among the markets in which the transformation has been fastest, also thanks to the choice to make it mandatory to publish compensation directly in advertisements.
For further information: Salaries, gross wages: Italy in 13th place among EU countries. Ranking
The increased availability of economic information is not proceeding at the same speed in all Member States. Between May and August 2026, Lithuania recorded an increase of 69.4 percentage points, while in Sweden growth reached 45.7 points. Opposite trend for France and Romania, where the presence of salary indications in offers decreased by 5.6 and 16.6 points respectively. Even Germany, despite representing the main employment market in the Union, remains among the least transparent countries. As for Spain, at the time of the survey the methods of application of the new provisions were not yet defined. Differences that highlight how adaptation to European legislation is following different paths from one state to another.
For further information: Inflation, why is it increasing? And how have prices changed compared to salaries? THE DATA
The new rules are introduced by EU Directive 2023/970, approved in May 2023 to strengthen the principle of equal pay between men and women and combat wage discrimination. The legislation recognizes candidates' right to know the starting salary or the relative economic range before the interview or negotiation, also prohibiting companies from requesting information on current or previous salaries. In Italy the provision was implemented with legislative decree no. 96 of 7 May 2026, which came into force on 7 June, which establishes the obligation to indicate compensation in job advertisements and notices. Companies are therefore required to make this information accessible already in the personnel search phase, allowing interested parties to evaluate the economic conditions before sending the CV. The provisions also introduce new transparency obligations on the criteria used to determine salaries and salary increases.
The greater transparency on salaries, however, clashes with one of the main critical issues of the Italian labor market: salaries that are not very competitive compared to those of other European countries, especially for the most qualified workers. According to the Bank of Italy, considering incomes adjusted for purchasing power, a young graduate in Germany earns on average 80% more than an Italian peer, while the differential with France reaches 30%. A delay that also emerges from the latest Eurostat data, according to which in 2025 the average annual gross full-time equivalent salary in Italy stood at 34,213 euros, against the 41,464 euros of the EU average, with a difference of 7,251 euros. Our country thus occupies thirteenth place among the 27 member states, also behind Spain, Slovenia and Malta. A distance that continues to widen: in 2022 it was equal to 3,822 euros, while in 2025 Italian salaries grew by 2.1%, against the 4.3% recorded in the European Union. Economic differences that contribute to making professional opportunities abroad more attractive, especially for young people with a university education.
The presence of economic information in job offers does not always guarantee precise knowledge of the compensation. Research by Indeed Hiring Lab, released in May 2026, highlighted how in Italy only 10% of the advertisements that reported salary indications specified an exact figure, while in the majority of cases a salary range between a minimum and a maximum was indicated. The Italian bands were also among the widest of the seven countries analysed, with a median difference between the extremes equal to 50% of the minimum value. In the same survey, Germany was among the least transparent markets, with just 12% of announcements accompanied by salary information, compared to 56% recorded in the United Kingdom, a country outside the European Union.
The innovations introduced by the legislation do not only concern those seeking employment, but also affect employees already employed. Workers can request, no more than once a year, information on the average salary levels of colleagues who carry out identical or equally valuable tasks, with data divided between men and women. Companies must respond in writing within two months, without being obliged to communicate the individual compensation of other employees. The decree also introduces periodic reporting obligations on gender pay differences for companies with at least 100 employees, with deadlines differentiated based on size. If an average gap of at least 5% between men and women emerges in a category of workers, which is not justified by objective criteria and is not corrected within six months, the employers subject to reporting must initiate a joint evaluation of wages with staff representatives. The objective is to identify and correct any disparities, also making the mechanisms by which salaries are established more transparent.
For further information: Paycheck bonuses, fringe benefits and bonuses: the tax changes envisaged by the 2027 Budget
