Employment lawyer on salary disclosure in Ontario

Interview Summary

For companies based and operating out of New York, employers will have to disclose the salary range in their job advertisements. Transparency could offer many advantages to employees in the U.S. If similar legislation was passed in Ontario, what would this mean for employees? What impact could wage transparency have on employment rights?

An Ottawa employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP joined CTV Morning Live in Ottawa to discuss this new measure and more on employee rights.

Interview Notes

• Current NY law regarding wage disclosure: This law appears to be a good step towards pay equity. The rationale behind this law appears to be primarily bridging a gap in wage discrepancies for employees.
• Wage transparency in Canada and Ontario: In Ontario, there was a similar law passed by a previous government that stated that employers would have to include salary ranges in job postings. This law was not implemented and it is unclear whether or not it will be currently.
• Disadvantages to posting salary ranges: Some employers might be concerned that certain candidates might not apply for certain positions if a salary range is not what they expect. The pool of potential candidates for new hires could be limited as a result.
• Awareness of potential promotions: Many employees have stated that there is a lack of transparency in the workplace; whether that be for internal as well as potential external candidates in applying for promotions or new positions.