Should salary information be included in job ads?
Transparency in recruiting: Why a clear salary range can increase applications.
Salary is one of the taboo topics in Switzerland that no one talks about. In the recruitment process, salary discussions are an essential part of every contract negotiation. Nevertheless, companies usually remain discreet – including a salary in a job ad is still rare. At the same time, applicants are often expected to state their salary expectations already when applying.
HR Trends | HR Knowhow | Refline AG

Instead of specifying an exact salary in the job ad, the wording often refers to an “attractive salary” or “fair remuneration”. In return, applicants are often asked to include their desired salary already in the application. In Switzerland, as in Germany, there is no obligation to mention the salary in a job ad. Things are different in our neighbouring country Austria – there, stating the minimum salary has been mandatory since 2011. Similarly, it is required in the UK, USA, and Australia to include a salary indication. This obligation aims to promote salary transparency and equality in the job market.

What do applicants want?

What do applicants actually want? Studies from Germany show that over 70% of respondents support including salary in job ads¹. In fact, three times as many people would apply if the job posting contained salary information.

"Studies show: three times more applications thanks to salary in the job ad."

What does reality look like?

Applicants’ opinions are clear: salary in job ads is desirable. But reality looks different: salary remains a taboo topic, so it’s not surprising that job ads with salary information are still rare. Figures from Germany show that just over 10% of job postings contain any salary details. From our point of view, this number is even lower in Switzerland. 

An analysis of job postings from all of our Refline clients shows that in 2021, among around 40,000 ads published by our clients, not a single one included a specific salary. However, one of our clients did link to a salary calculator directly in the ad.

Pros and cons

Many companies remain sceptical about stating salary in job ads.

These are often the arguments:

  • Deterring applicants by stating a salary in the ad
By transparently stating a salary range, only people who fit into the pay structure will apply. If the salary expectations between the applicant and the company are too far apart, you won’t be a match – even if the topic only comes up in the third interview. But this way, you and the applicants save time and resources by having that clarity from the beginning. Including the salary acts as a filter for high-quality candidates and can even make the final salary negotiation easier and fairer for everyone involved. Salary also serves as a guideline and a better basis for negotiation.


  • Too much focus on salary, pushing other benefits into the background
Surveys show that salary is still the most important criterion when looking for a job². Hiding this information, therefore, doesn’t make sense. Of course, you should also highlight all other benefits in the job ad that speak for a role in your organisation. After all, the overall package is what ultimately counts. And as someone responsible for hiring, you ensure that a person matches the role’s requirements and is not applying purely for the salary.


  • Lack of (internal) salary transparency
Some companies do not want current employees to see the salary offered in job ads. This may be due to existing (unexplained) pay gaps internally or because new employees would not fit into the current salary structure. A prerequisite for salary transparency is that the company pays fairly. But we can surely agree that fairness in salary matters is essential. Salary transparency leads to greater equality.







At Refline, we believe there are no valid arguments against stating salary in job ads. That’s why the Refline e-recruiting solution includes structured fields to enter a salary range for each role.

We prefer the option of stating a salary band. This can be complemented by a simple note such as “Depending on experience and qualifications, the salary may be adjusted accordingly”.

Our conclusion: By including salary in the job ad, you demonstrate transparency and fairness as an employer and stand out from the crowd. And if these studies truly deliver on their promise – and you receive three times more applications – then that sounds great, doesn’t it?

Try it now for free

[1] https://www.adzuna.de/blog/umfrage-gehaltstransparenz/ 

https://www.jobware.de/presse/2015/bewerber-fordern-verpflichtende-gehaltsangaben-in-stellenanzeigen

[2]https://www.stepstone.de/wissen/arbeitgeberattraktivitaet/