In short: Finland's pay transparency bill (HE 129/2026) is due to take effect on 1 January 2027. Employers of every size would have to tell applicants the starting pay or planned pay range as early as possible in recruitment, for example in the job ad or before the interview, and they couldn't ask what an applicant earns now or earned before (HE 129/2026, Edilex). The bill doesn't mention social media, so a recruitment post on LinkedIn, Instagram or TikTok doesn't have to show a figure. The post does have to lead somewhere the applicant gets that figure in time. Parliament can still change the wording, so this guide is general information and you should check your own process with a lawyer.
What does the pay transparency law change for recruitment?
Five points in the bill affect recruitment and employer branding:
- Pay information before hiring. Employers must give the starting pay or planned range, based on objective and gender-neutral criteria. The bill's examples are the job ad or a point before the interview. Palta, the service sector employers' association, reads this to mean the figure doesn't have to be in the ad, and the applicant must have it before the interview at the latest (Palta, 2026).
- Naming the collective agreement isn't enough. The bill says naming the applicable agreement alone wouldn't meet the duty. Where relevant, the agreement's pay terms come on top of the figure.
- No questions about pay history. An employer couldn't ask about pay in an applicant's current or previous jobs.
- Staff can talk about their own pay. An employer couldn't forbid an employee from disclosing their pay, and a contract term doing so would be void.
- Hiring rules apply at every company size. The pre-hire duties cover employers of any size. Pay reporting starts at 100 employees, with first reports due by 2 May 2028 for employers with 150 or more staff and by 2 May 2031 for those with 100 to 149.
If an employer neglects a pay transparency duty, the burden of proof shifts to the employer (KPMG, 2026). A rule on gender-neutral job ads was removed from the bill after the consultation round, while section 14 of the Equality Act still bars advertising a job for only women or only men without a weighty and acceptable reason.
Does a recruitment post on social media have to show the salary?
On the bill's current wording, no. The bill doesn't deal with recruitment on social media, and on Palta's reading even the job ad doesn't have to carry the figure. A LinkedIn post, Reel or TikTok that links to a job ad with the range in it gives the applicant the information at the first click, which is as early as it gets without putting pay on camera.
The harder cases are roles with no job ad behind them, such as a Story saying "we're hiring, DM us" or a founder messaging a candidate on LinkedIn. In our reading the person on the other end is still an applicant, so someone has to share the range in that conversation before any interview. The Ombudsman for Equality has already asked how the duty works in executive search, including whether every applicant gets the information or only those invited to interview, and the bill doesn't answer that (HE 129/2026). Take these two cases to your lawyer.
Why show pay on social media if you don't have to?
Few Finnish employers do it, so the ones who do stand out. JobCrawls, a job search site, crawled 17,381 active Finnish listings and found a salary in 26% of them in August 2026: 21% in technology and 26% in marketing, against 43% in education (JobCrawls, 2026). A tech company with a range in its post is doing something roughly 4 in 5 tech listings don't.
Applicants notice this too. In a survey of 3,007 Finns by Duunitori and Taloustutkimus, 31% of applicants said it annoys them to give a pay wish before the role is clear, and 28% have abandoned an application after a bad experience, rising to 43% among executives. Unclear or misleading communication was one of the three most common reasons (Duunitori, 2026).
The cost is internal. Anything you publish, your current staff will see, and from January they could compare it openly with their own pay. Sort out your pay bands before a range goes into a video.
How do you get your social media recruitment ready before January?
- List every place you recruit. One person from HR and whoever runs your social media list the careers page, job boards, LinkedIn company posts, staff posts, Reels, TikToks and DM conversations.
- Pick where pay appears for each one. Our default is the range in the job ad, with every social post linking to it. In DMs, the recruiter gives the range in the first message about a specific role.
- Delete pay history questions. Search application forms, DM templates, recruiter scripts and briefs to recruitment agencies for "current salary" and "previous salary".
- Rewrite your staff social media guidelines. Remove any line telling staff not to discuss pay. Add 2 instructions for staff who share a role: link to the job ad, and send pay questions to a named recruiter.
- Prepare a reply to "what does it pay?" Write 1 saved reply with the range and the link to the ad, and name the person who answers comments and DMs on recruitment posts within one working day.
- Brief everyone who appears on camera. Anyone fronting a recruitment video in January needs to know the range and who answers pay questions before filming. Our workshops for corporate teams cover employer branding, employee advocacy and LinkedIn, and you can see the formats on our services page.
Frequently asked questions
Has the pay transparency law already passed?
We couldn't confirm that on 4 November 2026. The government submitted the bill in July 2026, and Palta's update of 14 October still described it as being in Parliament, with 1 January 2027 as the target date.
Do job ads on LinkedIn have to show the salary?
On the current wording, no, as long as the applicant gets the starting pay or range before the interview at the latest. The bill gives the job ad as one example of how to do it.
Can we still ask about salary expectations?
The bill bans questions about current and previous pay and doesn't address salary expectations. Since 31% of applicants in Duunitori's survey dislike giving a pay wish before the role is clear, we'd share your range first and ask afterwards.
Can staff share their salary on LinkedIn?
The bill says an employer couldn't forbid an employee from disclosing their own pay, and a contract term doing so would be void. It doesn't mention LinkedIn or any other platform.
Does this apply to small companies?
Yes. The pre-hire duties cover employers of every size, and pay reporting starts at 100 employees.
Planning your employer branding for 2027? Tell us what you're hiring for and we'll reply within 48 hours with first thoughts on where we'd start.
Written by Maxine Buchert, CEO and co-founder of Meridian. This guide is general information and not legal advice. Last updated 4 November 2026.
