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Pay transparency is quickly turning into a front-end requirement, not a late-stage negotiation. In a new 2026 workforce survey from Patriot Software, a provider of accounting and payroll software for small businesses, job seekers describe salary visibility as a confidence signal and a time saver, especially in a market shaped by layoffs, job consolidation and longer hiring cycles.
The clearest line in the sand: 44% say they are unlikely to apply if a job posting does not include a salary range.
Key Findings (the metrics that do the most damage)
- 44% are unlikely to apply for a job opening without a stated salary range.
- 84% believe that companies hide wages to reduce workers’ bargaining power.
- 17% received an offer below the stated range when wages were announced.
- Among Gen Z, 42% say the most important transparency practice that would drive application and acceptance is a clear explanation of how pay is determined.
Payment transparency has become an application filter
Employers have long viewed wage stagnation as ‘flexibility’. Candidates increasingly see it as a reason to walk away. Nearly half of respondents say they won’t apply if there’s no pay range, making compensation disclosure an initial screening tool before a recruiter ever makes contact.
Candidates think secrecy is a strategy, not an oversight
Job seekers don’t understand why the reward is hidden. A striking 84% say companies keep pay vague to limit bargaining power. That suspicion runs even deeper among higher earners: 35% of respondents earning more than $150,000 believe that delayed wage disclosure is being used to underpay.
Transparency without follow-up effects
Posting a pay range will not provide credibility if it does not hold up through the offer phase. Seventeen percent of respondents say they were offered below the stated range when a range was announced. For candidates, that gap turns “transparency” into a broken promise and can erode trust faster than saying nothing at all.
Generation Z wants the logic, not just the numbers
Younger workers go beyond “What is the reach?” to “How does payment actually work here?” Among Gen Z respondents, 42% say the most useful transparency practice is a clear explanation of how pay is determined, reflecting the increasing demand for clarity on progress, criteria and fairness, not just a set of numbers.
Summary
The conclusion is less philosophical than practical: pay transparency is already changing hiring behavior. Job seekers use salary visibility to decide where to spend their time, and they see clarity about pay as a sign of respect and trust. For small businesses trying to compete on speed and credibility, visible compensation margins and consistent follow-through are quickly becoming basic expectations.
Methodology
Patriot Software reports the results of a January 2026 survey conducted via Pollfish among 1,000 U.S. adults who applied for at least one job in the past 12 months, across multiple industries.
In the survey, participants answered questions about job openings, salary disclosure, interview experiences and how compensation transparency influenced their decisions.
The survey results were analyzed across different income and age groups to identify patterns in job seekers’ behavior and perceptions.
This story was produced by Patriot Software and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
