Clear salary ranges are becoming more common in Europe’s job market, with Italy showing the strongest shift among major economies.
The EU adopted the Pay Transparency Directive to address unequal treatment, weaker bargaining power and the gender pay gap. Member states were required to implement the rules by June 7, but most have missed the deadline.
Follow THE FUTURE on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and Telegram
Italy Moves Ahead On Salary Disclosure
Italy is the only one of Europe’s largest economies to have fully implemented the directive so far. Indeed data shows that the share of Italian job postings including salary information rose from 26% in July 2025 to 61% in July 2026.
That put Italy ahead of the UK for the first time, with 60% of UK job ads including salary information. The Netherlands followed at 49.5%, France at 43%, Spain at 18% and Germany at 14%.
“Italy is emerging as a frontrunner on pay transparency among large economies in Europe, and the data suggests regulation is making a real difference,” Pawel Adrjan, director of economic research at Indeed, told Euronews Business. Adrjan also shares analysis on LinkedIn.
Most Of Europe Remains Behind
A PwC article published in early August said only five EU member states had transposed the directive by that point: Italy, Slovakia, Malta, Lithuania and Greece. Spain has made limited progress, Germany has delayed implementation until early 2027, and France’s position remains unspecified in the source material.
Italy also went beyond the EU baseline by requiring employers to include starting salaries or pay ranges directly in job advertisements. Adrjan said disclosure rose from 35% in January to 61% in July, accelerating after the directive took effect.
The share is unlikely to reach 100%, he said, because some job categories are excluded and enforcement issues remain.
Pay Transparency And The Gender Pay Gap
Salary transparency aims to reduce the information gap between employers and candidates, particularly for women. Eurostat put the EU gender pay gap at 11.1% in 2024, meaning women earned an average of €88.90 for every €100 earned by men.
The European Trade Union Confederation has criticized delays in implementing the directive. General Secretary Esther Lynch called the missed deadline “a betrayal of working women,” arguing that pay secrecy limits workers’ ability to challenge unequal pay.
ETUC research estimates that women in the EU lose €358 billion a year because of the gender pay gap, or almost €3,900 per woman. Italy’s experience shows how quickly salary disclosure can change after national rules take effect, while other EU countries continue working toward implementation.
