Why Job Postings Do Not Always Include a Salary

As online job boards have become the preferred method of advertising for open positions today, many job seekers have noticed a downward trend in the number of job postings without salary and benefits details. Understandably, this can be a source of frustration to those looking for jobs, especially because the application process has become much more involved and time-consuming in recent years.

Although the pursuit to have a career that fulfils you emotionally is a noble one, many job seekers have a specific degree, a number of years with progressing experience, or a personal bottom line that requires serious consideration of the salary that an opening offers. A position that clearly posts the associated salary range can save a job seeker a great deal of time and effort. If you have ever found yourself asking why salary isn’t always listed on a job posting, we have some answers.

1. Employers today have found it’s not necessary to list salary

In recent years, the trend has been to not include salary and benefits information in job listings. During the Great Recession spanning 2007 through 2009, human resource departments became inundated with job applications from professionals seeking work. It was at this time that employers found they no longer had to include salary information to attract high-quality applicants.

2. Withholding salary gives employers more negotiating power

Employers want to find out as much as possible about a candidate before revealing details about income. In some cases, for example, companies with a remote workforce don’t have to pay as much for employees living in rural areas with lower costs of living. Often, candidates from smaller towns are satisfied with a lower income than someone who lives in an expensive metropolitan city, though they may have the same skills.

3. Employers want to avoid competition between current and new employees

In a perfect world, all employees doing the same job would make the same amount of money when they started out. Realistically, however, each employee brings individual skills and experiences to a job that makes them more or less valuable in terms of salary. The amount of money an individual is willing to settle for and their location are also factors that influence compensation.

If companies posted salary information in job descriptions, current employees could easily view salary information for new hires and that could foster competition and unrest within the company.

4. Employers want to avoid competition between other companies within the industry

In today’s market, companies also don’t want to advertise their compensation packages because it makes them more vulnerable to their competition. Competing organisations could use salary information to win over candidates by offering them more money or target high-performing senior staffers within that organisation.