Obscuring the salary of a job vacancy behind language like "competitive" or "DOE" disadvantages underrepresented groups, particularly women and people of colour. These people are discouraged by society from negotiating their salary, and, even when they do, research shows that they are viewed badly by hiring teams.

The gender pay gap in the UK currently stands at 15%, having increased in the last year. The ethnicity pay gap is 4% for UK-born people from ethnic minorities and 10% for those born outside the UK.

We are calling on the UK government to introduce a law requiring all job adverts to include salary information.

Salary secrecy serves only to widen pay gaps, reinforce structural inequality and create tension between colleagues when they discover pay discrepancies.

The only reason for businesses to do it is to try to get qualified staff on the cheap. They must have budgeted for the role before they advertise it, so they must be required to publish the amount they have to offer.

Latvia has already introduced a requirement for salary transparency on job adverts, as has the US state of Colorado, with more states looking to follow suit. 

Studies show that candidates are more likely to apply for jobs that say the pay, and more likely to stay with the company. Organisations get the best talent, and no one is disadvantaged. Everyone wins.