The deadline for implementing the EU Pay Transparency Directive (Directive (EU) 2023/970) expired on June 7, 2026. Germany missed this deadline – a German implementing law does not yet exist. Many employers conclude from this: Then nothing will change for now.

That's only half the truth. For public employers – cadastral offices, urban planning offices, environmental authorities, state surveying offices – key provisions of the directive already apply directly. And for private employers in the geo, environmental, and planning sectors, the legal situation is changing gradually but noticeably.

In this article, you will learn what the directive specifically requires for your job advertisements, what currently applies in Germany, why public authorities are particularly affected – and why salary disclosures in job advertisements are beneficial for your recruiting, regardless of any legal obligation.

What the EU Pay Transparency Directive requires for job advertisements

The directive aims to enforce the principle of "equal pay for equal work or work of equal value" between men and women. For the application process, Article 5 contains two key provisions:

1. Information on starting salary before the first interview. Employers must inform applicants of the starting salary or a salary range for the advertised position – at the latest before the first job interview. While stating it directly in the job advertisement is not strictly mandatory, it is the simplest and most practical way to fulfill the obligation.

2. Prohibition of asking about previous salary. Employers may no longer ask applicants about their current or previous earnings. Salary determination should be based on the position, not on the candidate's salary history.

In addition, there are further obligations that extend beyond the application process: rights to information for employees, transparent and gender-neutral remuneration criteria, as well as staggered reporting obligations on gender-specific pay gaps – according to the directive's provisions, initially for companies with 250 or more employees, and later also for smaller ones.

Germany missed the deadline – what applies now?

By the deadline of June 7, 2026, not even a draft law was available in Germany. An expert commission developed proposals for a low-bureaucracy implementation in autumn 2025; a binding German implementing law is currently not expected until 2027. Until then, the Pay Transparency Act of 2017 remains unchanged.

As a rule, EU directives do not have direct effect between private parties. Therefore, an automatic "system change" for private employers does not occur on the key date. Nevertheless, the expiry of the deadline is no reason for complacency – for two reasons:

Directive-compliant interpretation. Since the expiry of the deadline, German courts are obliged to interpret existing national labor law in light of the directive. This makes equal pay claims easier to enforce – even without a new law.

The law is coming soon. Those who adapt their job advertisements and compensation structures now will merely be formalizing existing practice in 2027 – instead of having to rush changes under time pressure.

Public Sector: A Special Case – The directive already applies to public authorities.

This is a point often overlooked in general reporting – and particularly relevant for the geo-industries: According to established case law of the European Court of Justice, employees and applicants can directly invoke sufficiently clear provisions of the directive against state employers once the implementation deadline has passed.

This applies to federal and state authorities, municipalities, and companies under controlling state influence – representing a significant portion of employers hiring GIS specialists, surveying engineers, urban planners, and environmental scientists: Surveying and Cadastral Offices, Urban Planning Offices, Lower Nature Conservation Authorities, State Offices for Geoinformation, Water Management Associations, and municipal utilities.

Specifically, for these employers, this means: Providing information about entry-level salary or salary range before the first interview and prohibiting salary history questions are no longer a distant prospect since June 8, 2026, but enforceable law.

The good news: Few types of employers can fulfill this obligation as easily as the public sector. Compensation is already governed by collective bargaining agreements – specifying the pay grade and range (e.g., "Compensation according to EG 11 TVöD, depending on professional experience approx. 4,000–5,600 € gross/month") takes up one line in the job advertisement and immediately provides legal certainty and transparency.

Why disclosing salaries pays off, even if not mandatory

Even if you, as a private engineering firm or GeoIT company, are not yet directly obligated: The evidence clearly suggests voluntarily disclosing salary information.

More applications. According to the Stepstone Job & Salary survey (2024/2025), 86% of job seekers are more likely to apply for a position if it includes salary information. In industries with a significant shortage of skilled workers – and surveying, GIS, and environmental planning undoubtedly fall into this category – you simply cannot afford to miss out on this advantage.

More suitable applications. A transparent range serves as a pre-filter: Candidates with unrealistic salary expectations won't even bother to apply, while suitable candidates apply more purposefully. This reduces screening effort and failed negotiations in the final round – the most expensive recruiting failure by far.

Credibility when competing for scarce talent. Geo-professionals compare offers. An ad without salary information appears next to one that includes it in search results – and typically loses the click. Those who demonstrate transparency also signal a fair compensation culture, long before the first interview takes place.

Better visibility. Job advertisements with structured salary information can be featured with salary information in Google for Jobs – a clear advantage over ads without this detail.

How to phrase a salary range in practice

A practical salary disclosure doesn't have to be precise to the cent or binding for negotiations. Three approaches have proven effective:

Specify collective bargaining agreement (public sector, associations): "Pay grade 12 TV-L, depending on relevant professional experience." To make it more applicant-friendly, add the approximate gross salary range in euros – not every geoinformatics specialist knows the pay scales by heart.

Realistic Range (Private Sector): "€55,000–68,000 gross/year, depending on experience and qualifications." The range should be honest: A €30,000 range feels like no information at all.

Starting Salary plus Development: "Starting from €52,000 gross/year, with clearly defined development stages." Suitable for junior positions and trainee programs.

In any case, it's important: The stated range must align with your internal compensation structure. A figure that is retracted during the job interview does more harm than no figure at all.

Checklist: What Geo Employers Should Do Now

Regardless of whether you are a public authority, an engineering firm, or a GeoIT company – these five steps will prepare you for the new legal situation:

1. Revise Job Advertisements: Include starting salary or range in all new job postings – consider it mandatory as a public authority, and a competitive advantage as a private employer.
2. Review Interview Guidelines: Remove the question about previous salary from all interview guides and application forms.
3. Document Compensation Criteria: Record the objective criteria (experience, qualifications, responsibility) used to determine salaries – this is the basis for all further obligations of the directive.
4. Analyze Compensation Structures: Internally review existing salary differences between comparable positions before information requests do.
5. Monitor Developments: The German implementation law is expected to come in 2027 and may go beyond the minimum requirements of the directive.

Frequently Asked Questions on Salary Disclosure in Job Advertisements

Is salary disclosure in job advertisements mandatory from 2026?

Not necessarily in the ad itself. The EU Pay Transparency Directive requires applicants to be informed of the starting salary or a salary range at the latest before the first interview. Stating it directly in the job advertisement is the easiest way to fulfill this obligation – and from a recruiting perspective, it's the most sensible approach anyway.

Does the directive even apply in Germany yet?

Nuanced: Germany missed the implementation deadline (June 7, 2026), and a German law is still pending. Nevertheless, public employers have been directly bound by key provisions since June 8, 2026. For private employers, the directive has an indirect effect through the directive-compliant interpretation of existing labor law; the implementing law is expected in 2027.

Am I still allowed to ask applicants about their current salary?

The directive explicitly prohibits this question. This already applies directly to public employers; private employers should also remove the question from their processes now – it will be mandatorily prohibited with the German implementing law and is already an avoidable process risk today.

Do I have to state an exact figure or is a range sufficient?

A range is sufficient. It should be realistic and based on your actual compensation structure. In the public sector, stating the pay grade (e.g., EG 11 TVöD) with an approximate Euro range serves the purpose.

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Note: This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The decisive factors are Directive (EU) 2023/970 and the future German implementing law; for specific legal questions, please consult a specialist lawyer for labor law.

As of: June 2026. Sources: Directive (EU) 2023/970; Stepstone Survey on Job & Salary 2024/2025.