UK employers can legally ask job candidates about their current salary, but applicants are not obliged to disclose it, according to workplace advice from Acas.
Louise Rudd, a senior adviser at the workplace conciliation service Acas, confirmed that no regulations prevent employers from asking about current salary or salary expectations. However, if employers do ask, they must pose the same questions to all applicants to ensure fair treatment and avoid discrimination based on protected characteristics such as age, gender, race, disability or religion.
A campaign called #EndSalaryHistory has urged employers to stop asking about previous pay. The Fawcett Society, which campaigns for gender equality, argued that the practice perpetuates historic pay gaps rooted in gender, race and disability inequality. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation has also supported ending the practice, saying employers should base pay decisions on skills, experience and performance rather than salary history.
The EU is implementing new rules that will ban employers from asking about salary history. The UK government, however, is not including such a ban in its plans. Instead, the Cabinet Office has focused on requiring employers to publish salary ranges in job adverts.
When asked about salary, candidates can choose to disclose their current pay, reveal their salary expectations, or outline the market rate for the role instead. Some candidates risk inflating their salary figure to secure higher pay in a new role, but recruitment firms warn that lying in interviews carries risks that typically outweigh potential rewards.
Shazia Ejaz, director of campaigns at the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, recommends that jobseekers approach pay questions with "realism but also confidence". She suggests candidates focus on the value they bring, research the market rate for the role beforehand, and explain the contribution they will make. Rudd advises candidates who prefer not to disclose salary history to redirect the conversation toward their skills and experience as the measure of their worth.