Employers are enforcing pay transparency laws but widening salary ranges in tech and other higher-paid fields, according to a study published by the Hiring Lab. Greater transparency from employers allows job seekers to manage their expectations when it comes to how much they could be compensated in a prospective new role. While many employers across the US are enforcing the law, some seem to have found a loophole to circumvent complete openness: Salary ranges.

More — ambiguous — information: Approximately 45% of US job advertisements included some salary information as of April 2023, up from less than 20% before covid-19, the study’s data shows. But only about 22% of the job advertisements that do provide some pay transparency actually specify an exact income or compensation (and just 10% of all job postings do so).

Larger pay ranges vary depending on industry and geography: Tech hubs are some of the areas with the largest rate of increase in salary range spreads. In Seattle, for instance, the range grew 45% y-o-y in April 2023, while California cities account for five of the top 10 metropolitan areas with widening salary ranges. In terms of industries, wellness and beauty is one industry where pay ranges stand at around 45.5%, whereas driving, childcare, and food prep and service stand on the other side of the spectrum with spreads below 20%.

Some information is better than none? While laws requiring employers to adopt better pay transparency are a step forward, the abuse of ranges is counterproductive in terms of streamlining the hiring process. In the future, tech, wellness, and insurance could benefit from the experience of other lower-paying industries like childcare and food service by narrowing their brackets for job seekers to approach employment potential with better visibility and more accurate information, Hiring Lab says.

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