George Akerlof won a Nobel prize largely based on his study of information asymmetry. Effectively, it is impossible for all parties in a transaction to receive optimum benefits when one side has considerably more information. One of the biggest areas where this comes into play is in job searches. In most cases, hiring organizations hide behind phrases such as “Competitive Salary” and “Please provide salary expectations” in order to maintain the benefits of assymetrical knoweldge rather than engage in transparent salaries.

Salary transparency in job postings is seen as so beneficial to job searchers that multiple states have laws around it. Research has also shown that transpareny increases equity and equality.

We find evidence that pay transparency causes significant increases in both the equity and equality of pay

Obloj, T., Zenger, T. The influence of pay transparency on (gender) inequity, inequality and the performance basis of pay. Nat Hum Behav 6, 646–655 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01288-9

Inside the WordPress space, there are employers of many different sizes, but I thought that I would look to see who is providing transpareny in job postings, and who is not. As someone who is currently looking for their next job, I thought I should look at some job postings to find this out

Who in WordPress Has Transparent Salaries

I decided to look at the hiring page of 28 different companies. Each job posting was accessed on 30 October 2023. For each of these, I looked at 3 different job postings. For larger organizations with many positions, I first looked for WordPress Developer positions, then general WordPress positions and finally other positions.

I looked at organizations that are in Web Hosting, Agency/Consulting/Service, WordPress Products, and Media. Not all positions are directly related to WordPress or directly using WordPress.

The following companies are all hiring and all are being transparent with salary in the job postings:

• 10UP
• Big Bite
• CampusPress
• Google
• Human Made – Note: They also have listings for freelance positions, those do not have any salary postings
• iOne Digital
• Newscorp – Note: They only seem to list for some positions and it is fairly limited
• Penkse Media Corporation
• rtCamp
• StellerWP
• Updraft
• WP Engine
• WP Rocket – added after publication. They have a public formula for compensation. Hat tip Russell Heimlich.
• XWP

The following companies do not have salary transparency in job postings:

• American Eagle
• Automattic
• Awesome Motive
• CNN / Warner Brothers
• GoDaddy
• inpsyde
• Lone Rock Point
• Multidots
• Newfold (This is the company behind Bluehost, Yoast, and YITH)
• Pantheon
• WPMU Dev

I also looked at the following companies, but couldn’t find any current job postings:

• Alley Interactive
• DreamHost
• WebDevStudios

Benefits to Salary Transparency in job postings

Salary transparency in job postings benefit employers by promoting fairness and equity within their organization. When employers are transparent about salary ranges in job postings, it allows potential candidates to have a clearer understanding of what to expect in terms of compensation. This can help attract qualified candidates who are aligned with the organization’s salary expectations and avoid wasting time on applicants who may have unrealistic salary requirements.

Additionally, salary transparency can contribute to a more positive candidate experience. By being open about salary ranges from the start, employers can demonstrate their commitment to transparency, which fosters trust and enhances their employer brand. This can lead to a more positive perception of the organization among potential candidates, increasing the likelihood of attracting top talent.

Furthermore, salary transparency can help minimize wage gaps and promote pay equity. When salary ranges are openly disclosed, it becomes easier to identify and address any potential disparities in compensation based on gender, race, or other factors. This proactive approach to pay equity can contribute to a more inclusive and diverse work environment.

Overall, that means about half of the organizations that have job listings with transparent salaries. For the orgizations that don’t, I can’t help but wonder why? If I assume good intent, I can assume that they don’t know better. And some of these companies are small enough that I absolutely believe they deserve the benefit of the doubt. But for larger companies, this feels like an active decision. And one that I can’t help but question WHY.