Employers could be forced to disclose salaries in job adverts under potential changes to Jersey’s employment law.
Social Security Minister Lindsay Feltham discussed possible updates to the island’s employment legislation as part of a special scrutiny hearing about gender pay gap reporting held by the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel yesterday.
The Minister expressed disappointment at how many job adverts list salary as “negotiable”.
“I’ve asked my team if they can do some work on encouraging employers to be more transparent with their pay,” she said.
Deputy Feltham also hinted at legislative changes during the hearing – but noted this would require extensive consultation with the private sector.
She explained: “There could be a legislative change within the employment law to outlaw people not being able to discuss pay with their employees, [but] I would need to consult quite heavily with the private sector because of how embedded that is within the culture in workplaces in Jersey.”
Following the hearing, Scrutiny Panel Chair Deputy Helen Miles said she was “pleased to hear that there is an appetite for legislation regarding the transparency of pay in job adverts”.
“We know women negotiate differently and so this would be progress,” she said.
Deputy Miles added: “There is also a framework being put together for voluntary reporting, and we will be monitoring the progress of this.
“However with the finding that there is just 0.2 of an officer – which equates to one day a week – working on the gender pay gap and diversity, it’s clear that resourcing is an issue in this area.”
