Pay is a major factor in whether a candidate accepts a job or even applies in the first place. While EU nations are implementing the Pay Transparency Directive to mandate pay disclosure, British employers remain free to post a role without telling candidates what it pays.
Despite compensation disclosure helping candidates understand whether a role is financially viable, employers remain cagey around pay — often out of fear it may put them at a competitive disadvantage.
What we did
That’s why in April 2026, Careerminds analysed 18,283 full-time job listings posted on LinkedIn across 27 UK cities to determine whether they disclosed salary. The research identified the cities and roles most — and least — likely to be transparent around pay.
Key findings:
- Nearly 9 in 10 (87%) of UK job postings withhold salary details
- The marketing industry withholds pay details in over 98% of job listings
- Swansea tops the UK for salary transparency (24.3%), while London ranks 22nd at just over 10%
- Tech proves unexpectedly opaque on salary, with 11% of software engineer roles showing pay
- Despite record-high youth unemployment levels, nearly one-fifth (19.2%) of entry-level adverts include salary details
- Hybrid roles lead for salary transparency at 42%, while just 0.7% of remote roles include salary
Only 1 in 8 (13%) UK job listings include salary details
Only 13% of the 18,283 listings analysed included salary information, meaning nearly 9 in 10 UK job ads offer candidates no indication of what the role actually pays.
However, this figure doesn’t tell the whole story. Pay transparency varies significantly depending on location, industry, and seniority.
The UK’s job capital is one of its least transparent
According to the findings, job seekers in Swansea are more than twice as likely to see a salary listed as those in London.
Swansea ranks as the most transparent UK city at 21.4%, followed by Brighton (19.5%) and Liverpool (18.6%). London, where the cost of living makes pay one of the most critical factors for job seekers, ranks 22nd, with just 10.1% of listings showing salary.
Just 4.3% of job adverts in Aberdeen disclose salary information, despite it being one of the UK’s highest-paying hubs for energy and engineering roles.
Restaurants and food services looking to attract staff lead the UK with a 44.2% transparency rate, with nearly half of all hospitality listings disclosing pay. Staffing and recruiting firms follow at 38.8%. IT services (27%) and software development (25.7%) also rank among the most open sectors.
At the other end, motor vehicle retailers disclosed salaries in none of their listings, followed by education administration at 1.3%.
“In more traditional hiring environments, salary is often treated like a negotiation tactic rather than a point of clarity. Employers are trying to gauge what a candidate currently earns, what they might accept, and how far they can stretch their budget — and that creates a lack of transparency from the outset.
“The problem is, this approach slows down the hiring process and can erode trust before a candidate has even participated in their first interview.”
– Amanda Augustine, Certified Professional Career Coach and resident careers expert at Careerminds UK
The roles most secretive about salary
Four job titles in the study had a 0% transparency rate: paralegals, site engineers, mechanical engineers, and teaching assistants. Not a single listing across these roles disclosed salary.
Delivery drivers (2.6%) and healthcare assistants (2.8%) follow. These workers often have the least financial buffer for a poorly paid outcome, yet they face some of the lowest transparency rates of any job category.
At the other end, sales executives lead at 53.3%, with more than half of listings showing pay. Executive assistants (48.3%), recruitment consultants (47.1%), and data scientists (44%) follow closely.
Senior roles hide pay more than junior ones
Middle management roles lead in salary transparency at 30.8%, nearly double the rate for executive positions (16%). Entry-level roles, where salary clarity arguably matters most, sit at just 19.2%.
The pattern is counterintuitive: employers are more transparent in mid-career hiring while withholding salary details at both ends of the seniority spectrum.
Hybrid jobs that promise flexibility rarely show pay
When analysing working arrangements, hybrid roles lead in pay transparency at 42% (42%). However, job seekers have just a 0.7% chance of seeing a salary listed on a remote job advert.
As return-to-office mandates reshape the UK job market, remote roles are becoming more scarce, and those that remain provide little clarity on pay.
What this means
Transparency about salaries is now essential for competitiveness. Forward-thinking organisations are using compensation data to inform executive coaching, talent redeployment, and workforce planning strategies.
Careerminds helps HR leaders shift from hiding compensation to using it strategically, turning transparency into a competitive advantage for hiring, retention, and internal mobility.
Methodology
Analysis of 18,283 full-time job listings across 27 UK cities (April 2026). Salary disclosure is defined as numeric figures only, excluding terms such as ‘competitive’ or ‘negotiable’. Work arrangements and seniority extracted from job descriptions.
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