Salary transparency, because it must not be a taboo for Non-Governmental Organizations: only 4% of job advertisements in Italy clearly show the salary

ROMA – “The remuneration will be commensurate with the candidate’s experience”. How many times have you read this phrase in job advertisements and vacant positions published in the section dedicated to job searches in the world of international cooperation? To tell the truth – we read in an article published by Info-Cooperationthe portal for Italian humanitarian workers – the question of salary transparency it is not a taboo only for NGOs or limited to the non-profit sector; according to a recent survey, only 4% of job advertisements in Italy clearly show the salary or salary range due to the worker. The investigation shows that we are not alone in Europe, from the analysis of a sample of ads published on Linkedin in various sectors a very similar situation emerges in all European countries.

The RAL, gross annual income. An analysis was carried out of the over 2300 advertisements published on info Cooperazione in the last 12 months and we found a very low figure, only 2% of the vacancy published give information to candidates on remuneration by indicating a RAL (the gross annual income) i.e. the amount that the employer offers to the future employee during the hiring phase and which can in fact be agreed upon, although the CCNL (national collective agreements of work), if they are applicable, already give indications in this regard.

The only 12 most transparent organizations. Among the more than 200 who post ads on our site, they usually indicate a variable amount or range of salary. For the rest we find in the adverts the usual ritual phrases to which we have become accustomed:

The usual ritual phrases

– Salary and level of classification to be defined based on work experience and qualifications held

– Level and remuneration defined based on internal salary grids

– The compensation and duration will be evaluated based on the characteristics and profile of the candidate and in accordance with the internal criteria applied by the salary policy.

– The candidate is asked to indicate his/her financial expectation in terms of gross annual or monthly salary

But from June 7, 2026 something will change. Fortunately, something is about to change in Italy and Europe, in the middle of last year the European Parliament approved a new directive, 970/2023, which will make it mandatory for companies to include the annual salary of the worker. Italy and other European countries will have to adapt and implement the directive by 7 June 2026.

The gender pay gap. The new EU directive actually aims to counteract the gender pay gap (the so-called gender pay gap). In Europe, women, for the same job and for the same tasks, earn on average 14% less than men, in Italy the wage difference between men and women is 8.2% in favor of the former and reaches 24.4% in the case of people over 50 years old.

The complicity of “remuneration secrecy”. Also complicit in this different salary treatment is salary secrecy, i.e. the failure to declare the salary in job advertisements. This is precisely the fundamental theme of the EU directive which provides that the compensation for the worker must be clear from the beginning, precisely to ensure equal pay. Specifically, it will be mandatory for companies looking for new resources to indicate the RAL directly in the job offers. The legislation also prohibits those who hire from asking candidates, for all phases of the selection, the previous RAL, thus avoiding that the past salary treatment can be taken as a reference threshold for an offer tending downwards.

The pros and cons of transparency.

But what are the pros and cons of making the RAL or salary range clear? A question that those involved in selection and personnel have certainly asked themselves, probably opting not to include the expected salary in the open job positions.

THE CONS

— Save. Some NGOs do not indicate the RAL because they tend to want to “spending less”. By not indicating an expected salary, during the interview, based on the type of candidate they have in front of them, it is possible to negotiate a certain figure.

— Don’t give in to the competition. Another reason that can lead to not indicating the RAL in job advertisements is not wanting to face the competition. In some cases, publishing the salary can give indications to another organization that is looking for a similar figure.

— The risk of internal discontent. Finally, there is a fear of causing discontent within the organization; in fact, there may be employees who, for the same role, have already asked for a salary increase without obtaining it or in any case may contest compensation that appears not to be in line with their own.

I PRO

According to some colleagues who work in human resources, introducing salary transparency in job advertisements is an effective choice for attracting candidates and should be adopted for multiple reasons:

Transparency and trust: Publishing the salary range demonstrates transparency and honesty on the part of the organization, establishing a relationship of trust with candidates.

Efficiency in the selection process: Indicating the salary allows you to immediately filter the candidates, optimizing the selection process and reducing recruiting times and costs.

Inclusivity and diversity: Pay transparency promotes inclusivity, helping to close the gender pay gap and ensuring that all candidates, regardless of their background, have the same information to make an informed decision.

Motivation and commitment: Candidates who know their potential salary from the start tend to be more motivated and engaged in the selection process, as they know that their financial expectations are aligned with those of the organization.

With clarity, applications increase. Job offers that include a visible salary range receive up to 30% more applications than those who do not indicate it. This data is significant because it demonstrates how crucial salary transparency can be to attract qualified profiles. Starting now to include the salary range in job offers is a good practice and a strategic investment which can make a difference in the selection process.