If job seekers had the choice between two identical job advertisements (one with and one without salary information), a total of 60% of respondents would apply for the job with salary information. Only 20 % would choose the advertisement without salary information. For the remaining respondents, the information does not play a role - according to one of the results of the Adzuna survey.

According to the survey, applicants see the greatest advantage of salary transparency in the improved position in salary negotiations (44%). This would provide a reference point for discussions in advance.

However, the time saved by a better pre-selection of financially relevant offers (34%) also plays an important role for many applicants when making their decision. The same applies to the assessment of responsibility within the company (22%).

When it comes to information on remuneration, 64% of respondents prefer to be given a minimum salary. This would make it clear in advance whether the often hours-long application process is worthwhile. In contrast, 36% of respondents voted for a rough salary range as an indicator of remuneration.

Time savings for everyone involved

Inja Schneider, Country Manager Germany at Adzuna: "What has been common practice in France and England for years seems almost revolutionary in Germany: adding a salary to your own job advertisements. However, as our survey shows, this could prove to be a major advantage over the competition when looking for new employees. In addition, employers could also benefit from time savings, as candidates with higher salary expectations are already screened out in advance and valuable time of their own employees is not sacrificed through weeks of interview processes if the salary only becomes an issue when the contract is concluded. January is the peak season for job hunting - if you want to step up your search for employees now, you should reconsider using salary as a selling point in your own job advertisements."

More suitable applications as a result

Salary information in job advertisements leads to more clarity, 'just like any kind of transparency', says innovation expert Martin Gaedt.

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Critic of the skills shortage ('is homemade') and innovation expert Martin Gaedt also advocates transparency: "Stating the salary in job advertisements would be good for companies and applicants. Like any kind of transparency, salary information also leads to clarity. This does not automatically lead to more applications, because the salary can also be a deterrent, and that is certainly one reason why most job advertisements do not state a salary. However, I believe that salary transparency leads to more suitable applications. It saves time for everyone involved. Those who apply match the salary structure of the company."

Disadvantages of transparency

For personnel consultant Renate Schuh-Eder, however, such transparency also has disadvantages: "In the UK and Austria, the salary is stated in the job advertisements. You also have to state the salary level on portals such as Experteer (where jobs with an annual salary of 60,000 euros or more are published, editor's note). However, I find this difficult because it sometimes raises false expectations: If the job were worth 100,000 euros to me as a company because I'm looking for a senior, the top candidate who already has 110,000 today won't apply - but the one who has 75,000 today and doesn't even have the skillset yet will."