Pay transparency

Pay transparency refers to practices that openly share salary and compensation information to support fairness and accountability in the workplace. By increasing clarity around how wages are set, pay transparency promotes fair compensation, helps reduce discrimination and plays a key role in closing wage gaps. These practices strengthen accountability and encourage employers to adopt equitable, consistent approaches to compensation.

Pay transparency is intended to enhance labour force participation, achieve fair pay and advance equity by:

• addressing systemic wage gaps through increased accountability and reporting mechanisms
• creating better access to equitable employment opportunities for equity-deserving groups
• improving hiring, promotion, and compensation practices within human resource systems
• promoting compliance with equal pay requirements through robust reporting and enforcement
• collecting standardized data on wage patterns across industries

Pay transparency ensures that employers provide clear and accessible information about employee compensation. It is designed to promote fairness and accountability in the workplace using the following measures, and can include:

• requiring employers to include salary ranges in job postings
• prohibiting salary history inquiries during hiring processes
• introducing demographic wage reporting for employers
• protecting employees from retaliation for discussing or asking about wages

These measures aim to uncover and address persistent pay gaps in the labour market. For instance, while the wage gap in New Brunswick currently stands at 4.9%, the total income gap between men and women is a significant 25%. Additionally, income disparities for equity-deserving groups, including Indigenous, racialized, gender-diverse and disabled workers, remain substantial.

Pay transparency is a critical step toward identifying and preventing unjustified pay disparities that disproportionately impact women and other equity-deserving groups. By fostering openness in compensation practices, it helps to:

• build trust among employees
• reduce turnover rates
• strengthen recruitment outcomes

These efforts contribute to creating a fairer, more inclusive workforce that benefits employees, employers and communities alike.

Complaints can be submitted online using the Pay Transparency Online Complaint Form. Complaints are reviewed by the Pay Equity Bureau to address potential concerns related to pay transparency requirements.

You can file a complaint by:

• completing and submitting the online complaint form, or
• printing and completing the complaint form and send it to us either by fax at 1-506-453-7977 or by mail at the address noted below

You can request a complaint form by:

• phone, toll-free at 1-877-253-0266
• email: [email protected]
• writing to us at the Pay Equity Bureau, Chancery Place, P.O. Box 6000, Fredericton, NB, E3B 5H1

Employees are protected from reprisal for raising concerns or exercising their rights under the Pay Transparency Act.