Major European markets are lagging behind in earnings visibility, the report found
With the June 2026 deadline to implement the EU’s Pay Transparency Directive just weeks away, many major member states are on track to miss out.
Pay remains the main driver of job search decisions across Europe, yet despite this, salary information remains missing from job postings, despite EU-driven policy initiatives to increase salary transparency, finds a recent report published by Indeed.
Indeed research shows that several major European markets are likely to miss the targets set by the deadline of the EU Pay Transparency Directive, which states that by June 2026, employers must have created an environment where the discussion of salary is not hidden.
Several major economies, such as Germany (12pc) and Spain (17pc), were found to be lagging behind when it came to including salary information in job postings, compared to the UK (56pc), the Netherlands (48pc) and France (43pc).
Currently, Italy is the only country so far that has seen a steady increase in recent months, from 22pc to 36pc. In stark contrast, the UK, although not directly affected by the order, experienced a decline, as the share of posts and wages fell from almost three-thirds to just over one-half.
Three years ago Bill was first establishedIndeed it finds that many major EU member states are still legislating, noting that Germany and France are unlikely to meet the June deadline and the Netherlands is aiming for implementation in 2027.
Ireland was found to be ‘middle of the pack’, with new data from Impela showing that 39pc of jobs posted in Ireland include salary information from March 2026, however, concerns remain.
A more recent study, published by HRLocker, found that the level of “unpreparedness is systematic”, explaining that only 14 participants in their study understood the guideline well, leaving almost 300,000 in the dark.
Commenting on the findings of Indeed’s report, Lisa Feist, economist at Indeed, said: “With most major EU member states yet to pass national legislation, many employers do not seem willing to change their hiring practices.
“With this background, the June 2026 EU deadline is less of a hard deadline than the start of legal processes that will play out in many member states in the coming months. Individual countries may go ahead with the directive and mandate early disclosure, but until they do, this directive allows exports to skip the payment.”
He added, “Until a legal obligation is introduced, European employers will likely remain reluctant to adjust their posting practices. Even where, the level of disclosure is not guaranteed, some employers may respond by posting categories that are broad enough to satisfy the letter of the law while disclosing little about the actual salary.”
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