Written by Teodor Georgiev
Published on 20.04.2022 • Edited on 20.04.2022 at 09:34
The jobs.lu survery, conducted in February, indicated that just one in five participants had their co-workers in the know on much they make. Meanwhile 72% stated that they were willing to share that information with their colleagues. Archive photo: Anthony Dehez
Luxembourg employees want more salary transparency, with 60% of those surveyed by employment listings site jobs.lu saying they would like to know how much their colleagues earn.
Just one in five participants in the study said their co-workers knew how much they make. Meanwhile 72% stated that they were willing to share that information with their colleagues.
The jobs.lu survery, conducted in February, indicated that salary is a sensitive topic with only 55% of respondents saying their spouse knows how much they earn, while one in three shared that information with their parents and one in four with their friends. For 69% of participants, employees with a similar role should be able to compare their respective salary levels.
“It is evident that significant measures are required on a company-wide level with regards to salary transparency. Although salary is a sensitive topic, it seems more important than ever before to be able to discuss it more openly in a tight labour market, in order to guarantee employee satisfaction,” said jobs.lu CEO Arthur Meulman.
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More than half (56%) of those who took part in the jobs.lu survey consider salary to be private information and 49% consider that remuneration transparency leads to workplace disputes or feelings of envy. One in three stated they did not wish to be judged on the basis of their income.
Knowledge on salaries paid by the employer directly affects one’s motivation to seek a raise. Jobs.lu’s study showed that 62% of the surveyed employees stated that they did not feel comfortable when asking for a pay rise, while nearly four in ten have never dared to do so.
“In this context, a robust, well-formulated pay policy that the company could communicate with all its employees would serve as an essential tool to make it easier to discuss salary matters and to guarantee employee satisfaction,” said Meulman.
Another jobs.lu survey published at the start of April found that more than a third of employees (38%) said “they have never asked for a pay rise,” while 1 in 10 staff angled for a salary increase “once every two years.”