In short:
- The European pay transparency directive was adopted on 10 May 2023 and was due to be transposed before 7 June 2026.
- In France, a transposition bill was presented to the Council of Ministers, according to a news item published on 10 September 2026 by Entreprendre.Service-Public.
- The text provides for pay or a pay range to be disclosed during recruitment and a stronger right to information for employees.
- The bill still has to be examined by Parliament: its provisions are not applicable at this stage.
Pay transparency: where does this reform come from?
Pay transparency stems from Directive (EU) 2023/970 of 10 May 2023. The text aims to strengthen the application of the principle of equal pay between women and men for equal work or work of equal value.
Member States had to transpose the directive before 7 June 2026. In France, the Government presented a bill to the Council of Ministers. The text now continues its course through the Senate and the National Assembly.
What the bill provides
During recruitment
- The employer will have to disclose the proposed pay or a pay range.
- The employer will no longer be able to ask candidates about their current or past pay.
These measures add to the rules that already apply to job posting rules in France.
For current employees
- A stronger right to information about their pay and about average pay levels in their job category.
- No access to colleagues’ individual salaries.
- A ban on contractual clauses preventing employees from disclosing their own salary.
For companies with at least 50 employees
| Measure | What the bill states |
|---|---|
| Indicators | Measuring and publishing indicators on pay gaps between women and men |
| Professional equality index | Strengthened with an indicator on gaps for equal work or work of equal value |
| Calculation | Six initial indicators calculated automatically from the DSN (nominative social declaration) |
| Timeline | Obligations and deadlines vary with headcount, notably between 50 to 99 employees and 100 employees or more |
How to prepare
As the text has not been finally adopted, the precise obligations and their timeline may still change. Companies can nevertheless start to:
- List the criteria that determine pay and check that they are objective.
- Make payroll data reliable, since the indicators will rely on the DSN and on the items of the French payslip.
- Follow the bill’s progress through Parliament.
The stated aim and what does not change at this stage
According to Entreprendre.Service-Public, the bill aims to change the current framework by focusing on pay transparency and on employers’ responsibility for identifying, justifying and correcting pay gaps between women and men.
Until the law is adopted, two current rules continue to apply:
- stating the salary in a job posting is not mandatory;
- companies with at least 50 employees publish their professional equality index every year, by 1 March at the latest.
Frequently asked questions
What does pay transparency change for employers in France?
The bill presented to the French Council of Ministers provides that employers state the proposed pay or a pay range during recruitment, stop asking candidates about their current or past salary, and inform employees about average pay levels in their job category. The text still has to be examined by Parliament.
Will an employee be able to know a colleague's salary?
No. According to Entreprendre.Service-Public, employees will not have access to the individual salary of their colleagues. They will be able to compare their pay with the average for their job category.
Is the pay transparency law already in force in France?
No. As of 10 September 2026, the transposition bill had been presented to the Council of Ministers and still had to be examined by the Senate and the National Assembly. The European directive was due to be transposed before 7 June 2026.
Sources
- Entreprendre.Service-Public, Le projet de loi pour la transparence salariale a été présenté en Conseil des ministres, news item published on 10 September 2026, consulted on 4 October 2026.
- EUR-Lex, Directive (EU) 2023/970 of 10 May 2023.
- Entreprendre.Service-Public, Préparer et diffuser une offre d’emploi and Index de l’égalité professionnelle, guides consulted on 7 October 2026.