The equality of the sexes and the right to the same content with the same or equivalent work are among the 20 principles of social rights in the European Union. In order to increase the enforceability of these principles and to improve salary transparency, the EU entertainment transparency directive came into force in 2023, which the member states must be implemented in national legislation within the next twelve months-until June 7, 2026.
“Although there is still no concrete draft law for Austria, the far-reaching implications of the EU directive on wage transparency take time and the preparations need time. Salary is one of the most sensitive topics in the company. To adapt this, take time, some coordination and sensitivity.
Nikolai Dürhammer, Managing Director of Stepstone Austria and Switzerland, recommends.
For companies, the implementation of the new guideline means a large change and significant additional effort in human resources. It also harbors potential legal risks and sanctions if the requirements are not implemented on time.
Only a third of the HR managers are familiar with the details of the directive
A current Stepstone survey under HR decision-makers now makes it clear: the majority is not yet prepared for the upcoming changes-there is currently still a lack of knowledge about the guideline. Almost a quarter (23 %) of the decision -makers surveyed states that they have never heard of the guideline. 44 percent have heard of her, but have no details. Only every third HR manager (33 %) is familiar with the specific requirements.
How the salary transparency is currently in companies
One of the changes from 2026 is, for example, that employees receive the right to find out how their salary can be classified compared to colleagues with comparable activities. Currently only the equal treatment lawyer is right on such information, in the future every employee. In addition, the burden of proof changes: Currently, employees have to make a claimed wage discrimination credible. The EU entertainment transparency guideline now stipulates that in the future employers have to prove that they have not violated the regulations on the same fee and wage transparency. Accordingly, the objective deferred classification and development of employees must be documented.
Further information on the EU entertainment transparency directive for HR managers.
The Stepstone survey shows that many companies are not yet prepared:
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41 percent still lacks defined salary structures (e.g. salary straps, salary classes) in order to be able to classify activities objectively
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31 percent have no performance -based remuneration system – 23 percent of which are currently not planning to introduce one.
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Only 38 percent of the companies surveyed use a personnel information system for the documentation and analysis of remuneration
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56 percent of companies with more than 100 employees have not yet carried out internal salary comparisons (benchmark or pay-gap analyzes), so it cannot assess whether there is more than 5 percent between working groups. Half of them currently do not intend to make these comparisons.
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Structured and standardized employee interviews on salary and salary development are already available in 57 percent of companies
The same wages for the same work? Companies see great potential for conflict through the disclosure of salaries
Why is the implementation progressing so slowly? “On the one hand, there is a lack of resources for such large projects in the HR departments, many are not yet clear what the guideline means for them, some still want to wait for the specific law. Some postpone it, out of concern about conflicts if salary differences are opened. not only counter the possible problems at the time, but also strengthen the trust of the employees in the company “
emphasizes Dürhammer.
In addition to the organizational effort, many companies also fear internal tensions as a result of the new transparency obligations. 59 percent expect increased discussions about salary differences in the team, potential conflicts or dissatisfaction among employees due to salary differences expect 44 percent. An increasing administrative effort (43 %) is also worried. Only 14 percent of the respondents currently expect a positive effect on the satisfaction of employees.
Where companies can start now
Before specific measures can be implemented, companies must first clarify where they are currently: Which salary structures exist? Where are there gaps? How objective and understandable is the existing remuneration system?
All information about the current status, the legal classification and recommendations for the preparation of the EU entertainment transparency directive for companies: im Webinar (July 2, 2025 10:00 am with right -wing expert Dr. Karolin Andréewitch-Wallner, partner at Taylor Wessing)
About the survey
The results are based on the online survey of 107 decision-makers and decision-makers from companies with 2 to 5000+ employees in Austria. The survey was carried out by Stepstone from 06 to 15 May 2025. Only persons who are actively involved in their companies in salary and contract negotiations were interviewed, participating in the development and management of salary structures and strategies (e.g. salary teams, remuneration systems, bonim models) or regularly carry out salary and labor market analyzes- for example for remuneration benchmarks, budget planning or individual salary adjustments.
Über The Stepstone Group
The Stepstone Group is a worldwide leading digital recruiting platform that brings companies together with suitable talents and helps people find the right job. With the help of AI supported job marketplaces and programmatic marketing solutions, around 140 million applications reach more than 130,000 employers every year. In the 2024 financial year, The Stepstone Group generated sales of more than 900 million euros. The company is active in more than 30 countries – including Stepstone in Germany, with AppCast in the USA and with total jobs in Great Britain. The Stepstone Group, headquartered in Düsseldorf, employs more than 3,000 people worldwide. In Austria, Stepstone runs the job platforms Stepstone.at, unijobs.at and hotelcareer.at and employs around 70 people. More information under www.stepstone.at
Webinar | EU entertainment transparency directive: Current status and legal classification
The success format goes into the next round: In this webinar with labor law expert Dr. Karolin Andréewitch-Wallner, partner at Taylor Wessing and Corina Staniek, content manager at Stepstone Austria, learn everything important about the status quo of the EU entertainment transparency directive in Austria.
Datum: 02.07.2025, 10:00 a.m.
Art: General appointments
Ort: Online
URL: https://events.zoom.us/ev/AqLakt-VU8OQ6ouWjlgwGGJq_b_wH8gsBe2XWYdxxrc4zGOJWYq8~AiSaEjxQwkvcwoZIF2jmIBSrUqhbQtjYdMMlt2JHDU1e3FpvQiDFpiU5xKt1VKKK0kVESaP7EQOqatyDLJb0l1y7Bw