With less than a year before the European Union’s pay transparency directive takes effect, 62% of Romanian employers say they are not yet prepared to publish salary information in job advertisements, according to a new eJobs Romania survey.
The poll, conducted in September among 198 respondents, including HR specialists, managers, and entrepreneurs, shows that most employers have not begun the process of adapting to the new requirements, which will be enforced across the EU starting in the second half of 2026.
Another 22% said they were partially prepared, having started to assess the directive’s impact and draft internal plans, while just 16% reported being fully prepared, with salary transparency policies already in place.
“Although this is no longer a new topic for employers and everyone is aware of the directive and the fact that its implementation is not far off, we still see that the percentage of job postings displaying salary information does not exceed 40%. The exception is blue-collar jobs, aimed at candidates without higher education, where salary remains the defining argument,” said Raluca Dumitra, Head of Marketing at eJobs.
When asked about their current approach to salary transparency, 34% of employers said they publish pay ranges for most new positions, 10% do so only for entry-level roles, and 56% do not disclose salaries at all.
Concerns about the impact of transparency remain high, according to the eJobs survey. Over 41% of respondents fear that disclosing salaries could lead to dissatisfaction among existing staff, while 21% believe that pay information should remain confidential. Another 15% said it could make salary negotiations more difficult with new hires.
Some employers also cited higher administrative costs and reduced competitiveness in attracting talent as potential downsides to implementing the directive.
“There are also employers who see more benefits than drawbacks in implementing salary transparency, the main one being an increase in trust and credibility in their relationship with employees and candidates. Other benefits mentioned include reducing pay gaps, promoting gender equity, and attracting talent more quickly. In fact, our own data shows that job postings displaying salary information receive up to four times more views and applications than those that don’t,” explained Raluca Dumitra.
Despite the resistance, the survey found that 66% of employers consider salary and benefits to be the most effective message when communicating with potential candidates.
The eJobs survey included responses from employers in key sectors such as construction, manufacturing, logistics, sales, healthcare, HR, IT, and banking – industries likely to be among the first affected by the new EU pay transparency rules.
irina.marica@romania-insider.com
(Photo source: Fizkes/Dreamstime.com)
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