Ontario Employers Will Have To Include Salaries In Job Postings
Publié le 17 November 2023
New changes in employment law mean that soon Ontario employers will have to include salaries in job postings.
As job seekers know firsthand, finding their next career opportunity starts with reading the job description. This is where they are provided with the basic information about the available job. This typically includes the title, location, responsibilities and requirements that employers are seeking from prospective hires.
Salary information is often conspicuously absent from the majority of job postings. This causes frustration for job seekers, who should be able to know if their skills will be valued before they spend time filling out job applications, creating resumes and writing cover letters. However, this may be about to change.
The government of Ontario has announced their intention to pass new legislation that would require Ontario employers to include the salary or salary range of a job role in the job posting. Similar laws have recently gone into effect in British Columbia and Prince Edward Island. By ensuring that this information is front and center is a job posting, the goal is to boost transparency and improve the hiring process.
“At a time when many companies are posting record profits, it is only fair they communicate transparently about how they pay workers.”
David Piccini, Ontario’s Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development
Changes to the ESA
This proposed change is part of Bill 149 currently in provincial legislature. It would make several changes to the Employment Standards Act, the law currently governing employment law in Ontario.
“8.2 (1) Every employer who advertises a publicly advertised job posting shall include in the posting information about the expected compensation for the position or the range of expected compensation for the position.”
Bill 149
The government refers to Bill 149 an additional update to the previous Working for Workers Act, which also amended the ESA.
Increased Transparency in the Hiring Process
The intent of these legislative changes is to increase the level of transparency in the hiring process and improve it for everyone involved. Salary negotiation has long been part of hiring, but it is often to the disadvantage of job seekers. With the limited salary information available, the salary negotiation can more closely resemble an educated guessing game. They may know the average salary in their industry, but not what a specific company is willing to offer to hire the most qualified applicants.
Without knowing the salary range, job seekers can undersell their own value or, conversely, price themselves out of job. With the expectations of employees and job seekers changing, there is also a high likelihood that they simply will not apply for a job that does not include salary information. This will negatively affect job seekers and employers. Job seekers lose out on a potential opportunity for career growth, and business lose out on employees with the skills and abilities needed to move to the next level of success.
Improvements For Everyone
Newly proposed legislation will require Ontario employers will have to include salaries in job postings. As a result, job seekers will know they are valued, and employers will not lose out on valuable employees who choose not to apply for a job without knowing the salary. When these changes come into effect, it will lead to a more transparent and honest hiring process for everyone.
