The majority (84 per cent) of Canadian employees say they support a pay transparency law that would require employers to disclose salary ranges in job postings, according to a new survey by Leger Marketing Inc. on behalf of Talent.com.
The survey, which polled more than 1,500 employees, found 45 per cent of employees feel they’re receiving a fair salary while 43 per cent feel they aren’t. Support for pay transparency is strongest among workers in Ontario (86 per cent) and weakest among those in British Columbia (77 per cent).
Read: Only 30% of employees satisfied with pay transparency: survey
Nearly half (47 per cent) of respondents said they’d feel comfortable with their job’s salary information being displayed. More than half (54 per cent) said they feel comfortable discussing their salary with family members, while 38 per cent said they’re comfortable discussing pay with their friends and 32 per cent said they’re comfortable talking about wages with colleagues. The survey noted employees aged 18 to 34 are most comfortable with discussing their salary.
In addition, the survey found around six in 10 employees agreed salary transparency would increase pay equity across gender (61 per cent) and race (57 per cent) and female employees are more likely to feel salary transparency will increase pay equity.
Read: How employers can leverage pay transparency to achieve pay equity