Overview
- The EU directive due to be transposed by June 2026 will require salary information in job ads, enable employees to access colleagues' pay, and prohibit asking candidates about past compensation.
- Three quarters of French firms say they have not started preparing for compliance, signaling a substantial HR and process overhaul ahead.
- Current practices fall short of the coming standard, with only 46% of companies publishing a salary or range in job postings and 60% still asking applicants about previous pay.
- Perceived opacity is widespread, as 46% of executives call company pay policy opaque and 49% say raise criteria lack clarity, with many struggling to situate their pay internally and against the market.
- Support for transparency is broad—around six in ten executives favor full visibility and 71% of under‑35s back it—while 62% of managers fear conflicts and 63% say they would struggle to justify pay gaps, fueling risks of renegotiations and departures.