Pay legislation: Albertans hoping to see salary ranges in job ads

Pay transparency laws are gaining traction across North America, with Ontario the latest province to require employers to include the expected salary range on job ads.

Similar rules already exist in British Columbia and Prince Edward Island, as well as parts of the United States.

Is that something Alberta could see next?

Experts say it will help streamline the hiring process, as it gives job seekers more details about the role before they apply.

It could also help those already employed by that company.

“Your internal candidates will also be seeing the pay transparency when you hire externally,” explained Christian Cook, a professor of human resources at Mount Royal University. “It becomes quite well known what that range is, and it could be people within your organization that might not be in range.”

The new rules in Ontario, which came into effect Jan. 1, stipulate the annual salary range on a posting must not exceed a gap of $50,000, unless the job pays more than $200,000, or where the top end of the range is more than $200,000.

Ontario also says certain employers will be required to disclose in job postings whether a vacancy currently exists, and to respond to interviewees within 45 days after their interview.

But it doesn’t seem pay transparency legislation is coming to Alberta for now.

“The legislation does not address activities that take place before the employment relationship is formed, such as the recruitment process or posting of job advertisements,” Joseph Schow, Alberta’s minister of jobs, economy, trade and immigration told CityNews in a statement.

“Employers have the flexibility to set their own policies when it comes to hiring, such as when and how advertisements are posted.”

CityNews spoke to Albertans who were strong supporters of pay transparency on job postings.

“It’s kind of misleading sometimes when you apply and then you get a low pay offer,” one person said.

“When you don’t know how much it pays, it gets hard for us students to budget how much money we would be making for the month,” added another.

One person told CityNews their employer recently made the decision to be more transparent on postings – despite the lack of provincial legislation.

“Our company is moving forward with that exact program as we speak,” they said. “To be more transparent with our employees and allow more transparency so that they understand that there is pay equality.”

–With files from The Canadian Press