Anyone applying for a job naturally also wants to know what their future salary will be. But companies in Germany are still skimping on this information in their job advertisements, as the current figures from the personnel market research Index Research now show. Only 22 percent of employers mentioned a specific salary or at least a salary range in publicly advertised job advertisements.
Info
Index Research is the personnel market research of the Index Group and analyzes the job market in Germany based on extensive data from job advertisements. The company values it Index ad data from – according to their own statements Largest job advertisement database in Europe. The evaluations provide, among other things, insights into trends in demand for professional groups, qualifications and regions as well as the content of job advertisements (e.g. information on salary or benefits).
Those: research.index.de
Salary in the job advertisement: Wasted potential
This practice is not beneficial for companies. Other studies have also come to this conclusion. This means that sought-after young talents in particular are being lost to competitors who are already communicating salaries in their job advertisements. The Königstein group recently found this out in a study. “Many companies are wasting potential,” says Jürgen Grenz, CEO of Index. “If you mention a salary range in job advertisements, you will receive more suitable applications.” The good news is: Compared to the same month last year, the proportion of people who mention salaries in job advertisements has increased slightly by around two percentage points.
The willingness of employers to openly communicate salaries varies greatly depending on the professional field. The proportion is particularly high in practical and skilled trades:
- Transport, traffic, logistics and warehouse: 34 percentof job advertisements mention the salary – the highest value of all industries.
- Construction and crafts: Here is the quota28 percentwell above average.
- Unskilled jobs:Arounda thirdof positions for unskilled workers contain salary information.
According to the index research study, professional groups in the academic and commercial sectors are often in the dark.
- Project management:In just14 percentThe salary is mentioned in the job advertisements.
- Academic professionals:Only13 percentof job offers contain financial guidance.
Index Research’s analysis reveals a clear pattern when it comes to salary information in job advertisements: the qualification level of the employees sought plays a decisive role.
Salary information: A question of qualifications
There is at least some guidance for unskilled workers. Salary information is mentioned in around a third of the positions advertised for them. The situation is completely different for academic specialists. Only 13 percent of job offers aimed at academics provide specific salary information. For the majority of them, potential earnings remain a mystery that can only be solved later in the application process.
According to Index Research, the reason for this transparency gap is easily explained: industries that suffer from a high shortage of skilled workers are more likely to be forced to communicate salary information openly from the start than industries that already have access to a large pool of applicants. “Salary transparency can be a decisive competitive advantage, especially in areas with a shortage of skilled workers,” explains Jürgen Grenz from Index Research.
Rebecca Scheibel is the online editorial director and responsible for the digital channels of human resources.
