Employers in the UK can ask job candidates about their current or expected salaries during interviews, though there's growing pressure for them to stop due to concerns over pay discrimination based on gender, race, and disability. The article discusses how interviewees might handle such inquiries by either disclosing voluntarily if comfortable, providing salary expectations, or shifting focus to skills and experience. Louise Rudd from Acas advises that while employers have the right to ask about salaries, they should treat all applicants equally when doing so.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In the UK, job applicants face uncomfortable questions about their current salary during interviews despite being under no obligation to disclose this information. Recruiters are increasingly advised against asking about salary history, and new EU rules prohibit such inquiries in many cases. However, in the UK, employers still have the legal right to ask but aren't required to inform candidates of this practice beforehand. Louise Rudd from Acas advises that while there are no strict regulations prohibiting employers from asking about current salaries or expectations, interviewees can prepare by researching market rates and focusing on their contributions' value rather than past earnings. This approach helps candidates navigate the conversation more effectively and secure a fair compensation package.
Written for “Job Interview Questions” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.45, but all 2 of its quote(s) are attributed speech - words the article quotes from someone, not the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 56336: attributed speech only · logged 2026-10-05
- Published
Prepare all you like, but there is often still one job interview question that leaves you feeling uncomfortable.
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that → publish → you
While employers in the UK are within their rights to ask you how much you get paid in your current role, applicants are not obliged to tell them.
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applicants → ask → them
Recruiters have been encouraged to stop posing questions about salary history and, in the EU, new rules will prevent them doing so.
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them → encourage → EU
But in the UK, there is still a chance of it coming up, so how best should you answer?
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you → be → UK
What can interviewers ask?
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interviewers → ask → What
When interviewing or deciding on new staff, employers must not discriminate against an applicant based on so-called protected characteristics, including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.
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employers → interview → age
Sometimes it feels like interviewers, and interviewees, tip-toe around the subject of money.
But Louise Rudd, a senior adviser at the workplace advice and conciliation service Acas, says there are no regulations that prevent employers from asking interviewees about their current salary, or their salary expectations.
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that → feel → salary
She says employers, if they do want to know, should ask each applicant the same questions to ensure they are treated fairly.
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they → say → questions
A few years ago, a campaign was launched urging employers to stop asking new recruits how much they were paid in their previous jobs.
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they → launch → jobs
It had its own hashtag - #EndSalaryHistory.
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It → have → hashtag
The Fawcett Society, which campaigns for women and gender equality, said that asking the question risked maintaining historic unfair differences in pay due to gender, race and disability inequality.
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asking → campaign → inequality
Rather than offering a salary based on skills, experience and performance, it meant employers rewarded an individual's perceived worth and negotiating skills instead, the society said.
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society → offer → worth
The Recruitment and Employment Confederation supported the move, urging recruiters not to ask.
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Confederation → support → recruiters
Employers in the EU will be banned from asking about salary history in new rules being rolled out across the bloc.
But that's not featured in Cabinet Office plans in the UK, which instead concentrates on telling employers to publish salary information in job adverts.
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which → ban → adverts
What's the best way to answer?
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way → answer → ?
When you're going for a new job, you can reveal your current salary if you are happy to.
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you → go → salary
Some people asked by BBC News out and about in London suggested they would reply with an inflated salary - so they get paid more in the next job.
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they → ask → job
However, the risks of lying in an interview can far outweigh the possible reward.
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risks → lie → reward
There are no requirements for you to disclose your salary if you don't want to.
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you → be → salary
Rudd says some people might prefer to give their salary expectations, or outline their understanding of the salary range for the role.
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people → say → role
Recruitment firms often say applicants could instead focus on their skills and experience, so those are used as a measure of what they should be paid, not their salary history.
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they → say → history
Shazia Ejaz, director of campaigns at the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, says jobseekers should approach questions about pay with "realism but also confidence".
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jobseekers → say → realism
"Candidates can focus on showcasing the value they bring, the benefits that matter most to them and to go to the interview knowing the market rate for the role," she says.
"Jobseekers who have done their homework on salaries and can explain the contribution they will make are in the strongest position to secure the right package."
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they → focus → package
The Aporia
