Salary as blind spot

Pay transparency remains a distant prospect in Europe.

Three years after the adoption of the EU Pay Transparency Directive, salaries are still not mentioned in the majority of European job postings, according to the Indeed Pay Transparency Tracker. The deadline for implementing national legislation expires in June—and, like most major member states, Germany is likely to miss it as well. Job seekers, however, must continue to apply “blind” when it comes to salary.

While salary transparency varies greatly by profession, the most transparent occupational groups typically involve lower-paying, standardized roles. Additionally, salaries for hourly-wage jobs are more frequently stated exactly or within narrower pay ranges. At the same time, salary ranges remain the norm, with exact figures being the confirmed exception.

Experts attribute the lack of increased transparency not only to the absence of a binding legal framework but also to the declining demand for labor, which gives employers additional bargaining power. As a result, employers will likely continue to hesitate to actively change their job postings in the future.

We were also interested in these topics:

• Berlin’s Best: For the third time, the SWI and the Tagesspiegel are searching for Berlin’s best employers and training companies this year. The accompanying study covers questions on the topics of training and working conditions, as well as assessments of the current economic situation and the job market.

• Open-plan offices are killing productivity: People are less productive in open-plan offices. That is the finding of a new study analyzing human brain activity in various work environments. The main reason for the loss of productivity: Distractions and a lack of privacy promote stress and drain mental energy.

• Part-time record: Part-time work is more widespread in Germany than ever before. According to a survey by the Federal Statistical Office, in 2025, around three in ten employees—primarily women and older people—worked reduced hours. The number of hours worked by part-time employees has also increased.

This article first appeared as an editorial in the weekly politjobs newsletter. If you’d like to receive this newsletter—featuring the latest jobs in the political sector—directly in your inbox every Wednesday, you can subscribe here.