COMP NEWS – A Washington bill that will require employers to disclose salary information in job listings may soon be signed into law.

Washington employers will soon have to disclose the starting salary for open positions to job applicants — at the beginning of the recruiting process — if a bill that recently passed both chambers of the state Legislature becomes law.

In addition to Washinton employers being required to disclose salary information, employers will also have to list benefits and other forms of compensation in their job listings.

Under the proposed legislation, employers with 15 or more workers would have to disclose the hourly pay rate or salary, or a range of what they could be, as well as give a general description of benefits and other compensation that could be offered in a job posting.

This bill was proposed to create a more equitable playing field for would-be workers to seek pay information from potential employers.

Oftentimes, applicants can’t easily access pay information when they apply for a job, said Sen. Emily Randall, one of the bill’s sponsors. That can create an imbalance among applicants if some candidates have a connection at the company that can shed light on what the employer is willing to offer, or if they have past experience negotiating a higher pay rate.

The bill is receiving some criticism from stakeholders in small businesses. Some parties are worried that the bill will cause some negative effects, such as employers being able to easily track down job applicants’ previous salaries.

Already, the legislation has drawn criticism from trade groups advocating for business owners. Bob Battles, the director of government affairs at the Association of Washington Business, said the bill would be “cumbersome” for small employers. Bruce Beckett, a lobbyist with the Washington Retail Association, said it could lead to unintended consequences for job seekers if their past salary is listed on a job posting that future employers can easily track down.

To read more about Washington’s new salary information legislation, click here.

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