Expert dispels misconceptions about wage transparency

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 10. 06. 11:10

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The EU Pay Transparency Directive will come into force next summer, which could fundamentally transform corporate pay practices. Although the Hungarian transposition legislation is still pending, the principle of “equal pay for work of equal value” is already part of Hungarian law. And from June 7, 2026, specific, practical regulations will also apply to employers: salaries must be disclosed before the job interview, salary levels must be justified using objective criteria, and companies must regularly report on gender pay gaps.

However, there are still many question marks surrounding the regulation: who exactly is affected, how can salary data be requested, and what does the prohibition of salary secrecy actually mean? The expert of Humán Centrum Mankaerő-kölköksönző és törvénytő Kft. will help you navigate the most common questions related to wage transparency.

Light is shed on wages, but what does this mean in practice?

One of the most important provisions of the wage transparency directive is that job advertisements – or at the latest before the first interview – will be required to indicate the salary offered, either as a specific amount or in the form of a salary range.

“The point is not how narrow or wide the range is, but that there are clear, objective considerations behind it – such as working hours, skills or level of responsibility. Thus, it may be entirely justified for a skilled machine operator working the night shift to be in a higher salary range than a trained day worker. The regulation therefore does not aim to completely equalise all wages, but to ensure that the wages of those performing work of equal value are transparent, comparable and justifiable.”

– emphasizes the Human Centrum Kft. managing director, Dénes Rajmund.

In addition, employers are not allowed to ask about applicants’ previous salaries. This practice is one of the main reasons why women typically start with lower wages worldwide – and the new regulation aims to end this chain reaction, contributing to reducing the gender pay gap.