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Human Resources
Wage transparency: what will change
Publié le 10 octobre 2025 - Mise à jour le 19 juin 2026 - Entreprendre Service Public / (Prime Minister)
The main objective of the EU directive on pay transparency is to improve pay transparency in order to reduce pay inequalities between women and men. Adopted on 10 May 2023, its transposition into French law is in progress.
Please note
A draft law transposing the Pay Transparency Directive has been submitted for the opinion of the Council of State and is expected to be tabled in Parliament in July 2026 with a view to having the text examined and adopted as soon as possible after the transposition deadline.
The main obligations of the employer
Obligations before hiring
Directive (UE) 2023/970 introduces pay transparency as soon as the employer is recruited.
Indeed, the companies will have to indicate in job vacancies and before the first interview the proposed remuneration or at least a range.
In addition, the applicant will be able to obtain information on the relevant provisions of the applicable conventions.
Once the directive has been transposed, it will also forbidden to ask candidates for the remuneration of their last positions and mandatory to ensure respect for the right to equal pay.
Obligations after hiring
Pay transparency is also intended to be applied internally, which implies several changes.
The employer shall make available to employees the criteria used to determine:
- remuneration;
- pay levels;
- the increase in remuneration.
Employers will comply with the GDPR in order to protect this salary data.
Please note
However, employees will not have the right to request information about the salary of their colleagues.
The implementation of reports
Reports will have to be made. The gender pay gap indicator by category of workers will be subject to a different reporting period depending on the size of the company.
In particular, it is planned that this declaration will be made annually for companies with more than 250 employees.
Practical consequences for companies
In order to prepare for this transposition, the companies will have to implement several changes:
- updating the internal HRD process to formalize the evaluation criteria;
- Revision of detailed pay scales to justify pay differences and progression criteria;
- adaptation of HR and legal tools;
- review of internal and external communication to inform employees and candidates.
Reversal of the burden of proof
The European directive provides for a reversal of the burden of proof in terms of remuneration. Previously, the employee had to prove that the employer had violated the rules on pay transparency. When the Directive is transposed, the burden of proof will rest with the employer.
The applicable penalties
Sanctions will be provided for in the event of non-compliance with pay transparency. Indeed, in the event of an offense, the employer will be punished with administrative fine which will be proportional to the payroll or lump sum according to the seriousness of the breach. These sanctions may also be applied to job broadcasters.