have adopted national policies, even for jobs in places where it’s not mandated, which can make things simpler for H.R. teams and more equitable for candidates.
No surprise, then, that many of the metro areas that have seen the fastest growth of the practice—but aren’t yet governed by laws requiring disclosure —include Honolulu , Bridgeport-Stamford, Conn. and Boston . “It looks like employers start adapting before the law even goes into place,” Stahle says.
Compensation experts say it’s not surprising that high-wage occupations like banking or scientific research still have lower rates of transparency, despite how much pay scale disclosure has grown over the past year. For one, says Roger Lee, co-founder of, pay in certain industries like finance and tech has long been more discretionary, whereas in lower wage jobs, pay is more fixed and has long been disclosed.
“Transparency is a muscle that employers are building,” she says. “They may have a firmer grasp around how to communicate about jobs where the range is tighter, as is often the case with lower paid roles. For more senior and more higher paid roles, it takes a little more planning and maturity.”