UK job applicants face no legal requirement to disclose their current salary during interviews, despite employers holding the right to ask the question.
Louise Rudd, a senior adviser at the workplace advice service Acas, confirmed that no regulations prevent employers from requesting salary information or salary expectations. However, applicants can decline to answer without penalty.
The question remains contentious. The Fawcett Society, which campaigns for gender equality, argues that salary history questions perpetuate pay gaps rooted in gender, race and disability inequality. Rather than basing compensation on skills and experience, the practice rewards perceived negotiating ability and historic undervaluation. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation has backed calls for employers to stop asking.
The EU is moving to ban salary history questions outright through new rules rolling out across the bloc. The UK Cabinet Office has not included such a ban in its plans. Instead, UK policy focuses on requiring employers to publish salary ranges in job adverts.
When asked about salary, applicants can choose several responses. Rudd suggests offering salary expectations or outlining the market range for the role, rather than revealing current pay. Shazia Ejaz, director of campaigns at the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, recommends that candidates "focus on showcasing the value they bring" and arrive "knowing the market rate for the role."
Some job seekers told BBC News they would provide inflated figures to secure higher pay in a new role. Rudd cautions that the risks of lying in an interview outweigh potential rewards.
If employers do ask salary history, Rudd notes they should pose identical questions to all applicants to ensure fair treatment and avoid discrimination based on protected characteristics such as age, gender, race, disability and religion.
The broader shift reflects a move toward performance and market-based pay rather than perpetuating historical salary gaps through new hires.