New wage disclosure laws take effect January 1, 2023

Nov 17, 2022
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Written by WR Communications
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Under current law, an employer must provide wage and salary information for a new position upon request of an applicant after the initial job offer is made. Additionally, employers are required to give the wage scale or salary range to an employee, if requested, if offered an internal transfer to a new position or promotion.

With the passage of SB 5761 in 2022 (5761-S.SL.pdf (wa.gov)), beginning January 1, 2023, employers will now be required to disclose the wage scale or salary range and a general description of all the benefits and other compensation to be offered, in each posting for a vacant position. This new requirement replaces existing requirements

Under the new law, a posting means “any solicitation intended to recruit job applicants for a specific available position, including recruitment done directly by an employer or indirectly through a third party.” A posting includes communication about a vacant position electronically or with a printed hard copy.

Additionally, employers are still required to provide the wage scale or salary range to an employee, if requested, that is offered an internal transfer to a new position or promotion.

These requirements do not apply to employers with fifteen or fewer employees.

The Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) is still developing administrative policies to assist employers in implementing the new law. The Washington Retail Association will provide additional information from L&I as it becomes available.

    

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