LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 740 million members worldwide. It has become an invaluable tool for professionals to build their careers and network with others in their industry. One of the core features of LinkedIn is its job board, which allows users to search for and apply to jobs posted by companies. However, unlike traditional job postings, most jobs listed on LinkedIn do not disclose the salary or pay range upfront. This often leaves job seekers wondering why LinkedIn does not show salaries for its job listings.
There are several potential reasons why LinkedIn chooses not to display salary information:
Legal Compliance
In some countries and regions, it may be illegal for employers to post salary information in job advertisements due to equal pay laws. For example, in the United States, the Equal Pay Act of 1963 generally prohibits employers from discriminating between employees based on sex by paying higher wages to one gender for substantially equal work. Posting salaries could open employers up to potential lawsuits if it appears they pay men and women differently for the same role. By not showing salaries, LinkedIn avoids any risks associated with violating these types of labor laws.
Company Preferences
Many companies simply prefer not to reveal salary ranges publicly for jobs. Some firms want to maintain flexibility in salary negotiations, while others may not want their labor costs broadcasted to competitors or made visible to their own employees. Allowing companies to omit salary information from listings likely makes LinkedIn more attractive to employers looking to post jobs but not reveal compensation.
Candidate Pool Diversity
Displaying no salary range could attract a more diverse pool of applicants to a role. Candidates primarily focused on compensation may self-select out of applying if the salary seems too low. On the other hand, leaving salary ambiguous could encourage more people to apply, including those who may have thought a job was out of their league from a pay perspective. Widening the funnel of potential applicants this way benefits employers.
User Engagement
Not displaying a salary forces job seekers to click through and engage more with the actual job posting itself. This creates more page views and interactions that LinkedIn can monetize through sponsored content and recruiter services. If salary was always shown upfront, users might not visit the job descriptions as often.
Competitive Advantage
While frustrating for job hunters, not listing salaries gives LinkedIn a competitive edge versus other major job boards. Sites like Monster, ZipRecruiter and Indeed require employers to post some form of compensation info with roles. By offering more flexibility around displaying pay, LinkedIn provides unique value to companies looking to hire. This differentiation makes LinkedIn more appealing to firms with open positions to fill.
Why Do Some Listings Show Salary Ranges?
Despite most LinkedIn jobs omitting pay information, you may occasionally come across postings that do mention compensation or salary ranges. There are a few reasons why some roles still display this info:
Employer Decision
While they are not required to, some companies opt to voluntarily share salary ranges on LinkedIn job postings. They may want to appear upfront about compensation to attract top talent. The employer knows displaying salaries could discourage some applicants, but they are willing to reveal pay for the right candidates.
Remote Jobs
For remote or virtual job listings that could be done from anywhere, companies are more likely to share salary info. When location is irrelevant, pay becomes one of the most important details candidates want to know. To appeal to job seekers across regions, employers may choose to be transparent about pay for remote roles.
Public Sector Roles
Jobs with government entities, public schools, non-profits and some other types of organizations sometimes disclose salary bands. As tax-payer or donation funded organizations, they may have obligations around salary transparency that private companies do not.
Highly Competitive Markets
In booming sectors struggling with talent shortages like technology, some companies choose to advertise compensation to attract in-demand workers. When competing for sparse high-skill talent, employers may use pay transparency as a recruiting strategy.
Standardized Pay
For certain profession like nurses, pilots and skilled trades, salaries tend to follow union contracts or other set pay scales. Employers know candidates are aware of this standardized pay, so they are more willing to share exact figures.
The Pros of Omitting Salary Information
While job seekers understandably desire to see salary ranges, there are some advantages to LinkedIn excluding pay from listings for both candidates and companies:
Encourages Open-Minded Applying
When salary is not pre-listed, you may apply to jobs you would have otherwise passed on. You are forced to evaluate the overall role fit beyond just compensation. No initial number anchors you to a set pay expectation.
More Flexibility in Negotiation
Without posted pay, both applicant and employer have more leeway to negotiate salary after an interview offer. Candidates can demonstrate their value beyond just a number. Companies also don’t have pre-set public salary bands limiting what they can offer.
Focus on Job Itself
The lack of upfront salary info pushes you to research the company, responsibilities, career growth, culture and benefits of a role. You make decisions based on the quality of work rather than chasing the highest paying option.
Wider Applicant Pool
Ambiguous salary ranges attract candidates that might not have applied based on low pay or feeling unqualified because of high pay. You could discover and be offered roles you never would have considered.
Removes Bias
Since no compensation is listed, employers must evaluate candidates based on skills and achievements. This can reduce potential discrimination in hiring based on pay history or salary requirements.
The Cons of Omitted Salary Information
Despite the benefits, there are also disadvantages both job seekers and employers should weigh around the lack of salary transparency:
Time Wasting
Applying to jobs with unclear pay could lead to wasted time interviewing. If the eventual salary is lower than your needs or expectations, the efforts of both parties are for nothing.
Mismatched Priorities
You may pursue and secure jobs that, once the salary is revealed, do not match your financial requirements. Frustration follows when accepting a role does not make sense due to pay.
Lost Leverage
Employees lose negotiating power when they do not have a stated salary range to reference. Candidates must argue pay from a disadvantage compared to employers.
Unclear Compensation
Fuzzy pay expectations and unknown market salary data make it hard to set reasonable demands as a candidate. You could ask for too much or too little without posted figures.
Employer Bias
Despite the potential for reducing bias, some employers may still default to pre-conceptions about groups to set pay during negotiations without posted ranges. This allows room for discriminatory pay decisions.
Poorer Candidate Experience
Ambiguous compensation frustrates job seekers and reflects poorly on opaque employers. Not being upfront about pay risks turning away top talent.
What Does LinkedIn Recommend?
LinkedIn itself acknowledges the problems with job postings lacking salary information. While the platform mostly leaves the choice to employers, their help documentation suggests:
“To attract the best talent, we recommend adding salary or pay rates to your job posts. Candidates prefer openness and transparency during their job search.”
The company stops short of requiring pay disclosure, but they do appear to recognize competitive employer brands are transparent.
LinkedIn notes how metrics show candidates are:
- 35% more likely to apply if a salary is listed
- 4x as likely to finish applying after seeing the pay
- 47% deterred by jobs without salary ranges posted
Their data science clearly indicates pay transparency leads to better applicant conversion and job seeker trust.
What Does the Future Hold?
While LinkedIn currently does not mandate salary disclosure, changes may be on the horizon in some jurisdictions based on new laws.
For example, in 2022 New York City passed a Pay Transparency law requiring employers to provide pay ranges for jobs located in NYC or where the applicant will work from NYC. With one of LinkedIn’s largest offices in NYC, they may need to adjust how salaries are shown moving forward for applicable job listings in order to legally hire for roles there.
Other regions like Colorado and California also now have enhanced pay transparency laws taking effect in 2023. If LinkedIn wants to aid companies with compliance and continue attracting top talent, they may lean towards more mandatory compensation disclosure nationwide eventually. However, only time will tell how LinkedIn and other global job boards adapt as more pay transparency regulations emerge worldwide.
Conclusion
LinkedIn avoiding pay transparency on most job postings is frustrating for candidates but likely driven by compliance concerns, pleasing companies and increasing user interaction. While opaque salary ranges have some benefits, clear compensation disclosure improves applicant trust and conversion. Gradually evolving laws may pressure LinkedIn to mandate salaries in more jurisdictions. But for now, the platform remains relatively hands-off, allowing employers to choose if they display pay or not. Job seekers dislike the ambiguity, but must continue applying with salary optimism until LinkedIn itself decides to change.