New laws forcing employers to advertise salary

(CNN NEWSOURCE) — A new law could soon change the way you look for a job in New York City.

Most employers there are now required to post good faith pay ranges in their job listings.

Colorado already does that, and a similar law in California is taking effect in January, giving much-needed transparency to job seekers.

“This is huge. It should go further. It should be all jobs,” said Employment & Civil Rights Attorney Nancy Erika Smith.

New York City is now requiring companies with four employees or more to show the money upfront — listing the salary or hourly wage range for any job posting or promotion that can be performed in NYC.

Meaning even if it’s a remote job, employers must comply.

Smith says wage transparency is a major step toward closing the wage pay gap in the U.S. and says the change will impact women and people of color the most.

“94% of jobs have a wage pay gap, and still in 2022 women make 83 cents on the dollar,” Smith added.

Colorado put a law like this on the books last year and in California, a similar law goes into effect on Jan. 1 for employers with at least 15 employees.

Experts say the new laws will be far-reaching since they affect two of the most populous areas in the U.S. which have many remote workers.

Experts say existing employees will be able to use the laws as a bargaining tool and advocate for themselves if they’re underpaid.

“It’s an inspiring time to look at the candidate behavior. And I think it’s a frightening time for employers because many are not prepared for that power shift,” said East Side Staffing founder Laura Mazzullo.

Meanwhile, a few other states, like Rhode Island and Maryland, have legislation that requires employers to provide salary ranges upon request.

In New York, the city’s Commission on Human Rights will enforce the new law.

With the first violation, employers get a 30 day grace period to fix it.

After that penalties can go up to $250,000.