July 18, 2023

What Effects Are Salary Transparency Laws Having?

While still not a federal law, many states and localities have enacted laws aimed at providing greater salary transparency for job seekers as well as researchers and policy makers concerned about issues like wage gaps by gender or race. New York State passed its own pay transparency law in 2022, and now that the law is in effect, researchers are starting to get a better picture of whether and how much it helps job hunters.

For one thing, it gives new entrants into the workforce a much better idea of what they are facing, and can aid them in negotiating salary. According to the National Women’s Law Center more than 25% of the country is now aided by new laws and the number of new job listings that include salaries is up. 

However, employers and HR departments are choosing to advertise salary bands, a possible range of pay, that are often too broad to be of any use to a potential job seeker. According to a New York Times story, Netflix, for example, advertised a senior manager job with a pay band of $195k-$510k; hardly much use to applicants. As the Times reports, this trend seems to be expanding among high pay industries including tech, pharmaceuticals, and scientific R&D.

One issue is that states and localities have little in the way of concrete plans on how to enforce their pay transparency laws, allowing companies to muddy the waters for job seekers. In New York City, the Human Rights Commission has received hundreds of complaints about noncompliance, but has not disclosed whether any action has been taken. These transparency laws are gaining in popularity as conflict between employers and workers heats up, with a labor market that is still hot.

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Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board to Reopen Starting May 18

May 14, 2020
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The NYS Unemployment Appeals Board is re-opening as of May 18. This is a welcome return of due process for the many people who have been denied UI who want to contest those denials and receive unemployment funds.

The Road to Re-opening New York State

May 6, 2020
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On Monday night, May 4, 2020, Governor Cuomo announced his plan to re-open New York State once PAUSE expires on May 15th. The plan is meant to “determine which regions allow what sectors to reopen and when.” Get the details here.

Reopening to Require Significant Adjustments to Ensure Worker Safety

May 6, 2020
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As US states begin to ease their shelter-in-place and lockdown orders, we are fast realizing, like other countries, that shutting down normal operations is much simpler than restarting them. Unlike sheltering in place, a return to public life is going to require significant resources and policies in place to curb potential for future outbreaks and ensure that workers and the public are safe when they go out.

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