Two-thirds of job seekers won’t apply for a job if it doesn’t state the salary upfront
The careers experts at www.jobseeker.com undertook extensive research to determine just how many job seekers won’t apply for a job if the job advertisement doesn’t state the salary upfront. Surveying almost 4,000 English-speaking respondents who are currently looking for a new job, or have been over the past six months, the team initially found that two-thirds won’t apply for a job if it doesn’t state the salary upfront (66%).
Residents in America are the most likely to apply for a job that doesn’t advertise the salary (just 10% stated they wouldn’t apply), followed by those in Australia (12%) and France (13%). Whereas those in New Zealand are the least likely to apply for a job that does not highlight the role’s salary from the offset (89% stated they wouldn’t apply), followed by Italy (84%) and Canada (80%). UK residents don’t quite fit the global average, with 41% stating they are unlikely to apply for a role if the salary is not clearly visible.
Further supporting this, research by the Adzuna whitepaper: “Show me the money: Salary transparency in 2022” found that only three in five job ads disclose the salary upfront, meaning two-fifths are leaving job seekers guessing as to what they may be compensated for the role on offer.
Additional research also revealed that, when it comes to average monthly net salary, the highest-paying countries around the world are Switzerland ($6,142.10), Singapore ($4,350.79) and Australia ($4,218.89)**.
In comparison, the lowest-paying countries by average monthly net salary were found to be Sri Lanka ($143.62), Pakistan ($163.17) and Nigeria ($166.33). The United States of America was the fourth best-paying country in the world ($3,721.64), while the UK came in 14th on the list ($2,764.57). With the likes of the United States of America and Australia leading the way as the highest salary-paying countries in the world, also having a considerable proportion of residents who would apply for a job without a salary attached, the correlation between high average salaries and jobseeker confidence is clear.
According to the Jobseeker.com survey, the top reasons job seekers won’t apply for a job if it doesn’t state the salary were found to be:
- I believe employers hope you’ll accept the job (if you get an offer) for a lower salary than is expected for the role – 30%
- I don’t want to waste my time – 29%
- It comes across as suspicious and makes me not trust the employer – 21%
Similarly, the majority of those who do apply for jobs with no salary advertised admitted they still apply as “the company likely only wants serious applicants, and not those applying just for the salary” (57%).
Other things that job seekers stated they look for in a job advertisement were ‘clarification of where the job is based, and if it offers hybrid or remote-working’ (54%) and ‘a list of additional benefits’ (48%).
It is important to note that the survey also highlighted notable differences in job applicants’ preferences, with outliers such as France bucking the typical trends. In France, a remarkably low percentage of individuals refrained from applying for roles without prior knowledge of the salary, despite the country’s relatively lower average income compared to some others. While the general trend might suggest a correlation between salary transparency and job application rates. This could potentially be explained by unique cultural differences present between various job markets of various countries.
A spokesperson for www.jobseeker.com commented on the findings: “It’s interesting to see that Australia and America are two of the highest salary-paying countries in the world and have a considerable number of residents who would apply for a job blindly, no doubt because there is a degree of confidence instilled that they will be offered a fair salary for the job they’re applying for.
“It’s definitely a personal preference on whether or not you choose to apply for a role that doesn’t state the salary upfront in the job advertisement, and there are many reasons that companies would do this.”