— California, Rhode Island and Washington — joined the chorus of states, cities and counties enacting salary transparency laws intended to give workers more leverage to negotiate their earnings and close wage gaps.
For years now, new laws have passed that aim to protect job-seekers during the hiring process, such as by barring employers from asking about their salary history . In 2021, Colorado paved the way with a new type of law that requires employers to proactively and publicly put their cards on the table: Companies were required to list salary ranges on job advertisements for work that could be done in the state.
Since then, additional states and localities have passed similar legislation, whiles others have laws that say employers must disclose the minimum and maximum pay to job candidates at some point in the hiring process. All told, roughly 1 in 4 U.S. workers now live in a place where employers are required to share pay ranges by law, according to calculations from analysts at Payscale. Here's a rundown of where salary transparency laws are currently in effect:Employers must list the salary range on all job ads for roles that will or may be filled in California, including for jobs that can be done remotely from the state. Current employees are entitled to the salary range of their position, upon request.