Employers urged to stop asking jobseekers about previous pay

EMPLOYERS are being urged to stop asking jobseekers about their previous salary amid concerns it is keeping women on lower wages and contributes to the gender pay gap.

The Fawcett Society said asking about past salaries during recruitment was “pointless” because many people lied about what they previously earned.

The campaign group warned that asking about salary history helped to keep women on lower rates and contributed to the gender pay gap, which it added showed no sign of closing.

The report was released to mark Equal Pay Day, the date when campaign groups say women effectively start to work for free for the rest of the year because, on average, they are paid less than men.

The Fawcett Society said three out of five women who had been asked about salary history believed it damaged their confidence to negotiate better pay, and it made them feel as though a low past salary was “coming back to haunt them”.

Jemima Olchawski, Fawcett Society chief executive, said: “At best, salary history questions are annoying and our research shows asking them can damage an employer’s reputation. But it goes deeper than that – asking about salary history can mean past pay discrimination follows women, people of colour, and people with disabilities throughout their career. It also means new employers replicate pay gaps from other organisations.

“On Equal Pay Day, we’re calling on employers to commit to closing their gender pay and to stop asking about past salaries.”

The society said its survey of 2,200 adults suggested that only one in four felt that pay should be based on past salary, compared to 80 per cent for their skill and responsibilities and 77 per cent for the value of the work they do.

The report added that the pace of change to close the gender pay gap was “glacial”, adding that more needed to be done by the Government and employers to tackle its causes, such as discrimination and under-valuing of the types of work women do.

Shobaa Haridas, from East London Fawcett, who started a grassroots campaign to stop employers asking about previous salaries, said: “If you are an employer, asking for salary history is incompatible with a commitment to equal pay. Many employers have already ended this practice and we call on more employers to take our pledge.”

If you are an employer, asking for salary history is incompatible with a commitment to equal pay Shobaa Haridas