By 7 June 2026, France will need to transpose into national law one of the most ambitious European directives of recent years in the field of labour law. Its aim: to impose full transparency on remuneration within companies. For both employees and employers, the forthcoming changes are considerable.

A directive born from the observation of persistent inequalities

Adopted in May 2023 by the European Parliament, Directive 2023/970 on pay transparency starts from a simple but alarming observation: in Europe, women earn on average 13% less than men in equivalent positions. In France, this gap is around 15%, despite existing mechanisms such as the professional equality index.

The European text aims to tackle the roots of the problem by making pay practices visible and comparable. The idea is that transparency is the best disinfectant: when salaries are transparent, unjustified disparities become much harder to maintain.

Job offers will have to display salaries

This is probably the most visible measure for job applicants. Every job offer must compulsorily mention a pay range, either in the advertisement itself or before the first interview. Gone are the days of adverts saying "salary according to profile" or "attractive remuneration" with no figures.

This obligation will transform the recruitment culture in France, where the subject of salary often remains taboo in the early stages of the process. Recruiters will also no longer be able to ask about a candidate's salary history, a practice that contributes to perpetuating inequalities from one job to the next.

A right of access to pay data for employees

Beyond recruitment, the directive grants employees in post a right to information on remuneration levels. Each employee will be able to ask their employer to know the average pay levels, broken down by sex, for workers in posts of equal value.

Companies will not be able to impose confidentiality clauses on salaries. In other words, discussing one's remuneration with colleagues will become a right explicitly protected by law, which represents a genuine cultural shift in many French organisations.

Reporting obligations according to company size

The directive provides for a progressive timetable based on company size:

• Over 250 employees: annual report on pay gaps between men and women, from the entry into force of the transposition.
• 150 to 249 employees: report every three years.
• 100 to 149 employees: report every three years, but from 2031 only.

When a pay gap exceeding 5% is identified and cannot be justified by objective criteria, the company will have to carry out a joint assessment of remuneration with staff representatives to identify and correct disparities.

Where does France stand on transposition?

At present, France is notably behind. The governmental instability of 2024 and 2025 did not allow the transposition bill to advance. No text has yet been officially tabled in Parliament, while the 7 June 2026 deadline is rapidly approaching.

The Minister of Labour has, however, confirmed the government's intention to transpose the directive, envisaging parliamentary examination before the summer of 2026 and final adoption at the latest by September 2026. A delay with respect to the European deadline therefore seems likely, but the direction is clear.

In the meantime, many large French companies are not waiting for the law to prepare. Some have already begun auditing their pay scales, training their managers, and adapting their recruitment processes.

What sanctions apply in the event of non-compliance?

The directive requires Member States to provide for effective, proportionate, and dissuasive sanctions. If France follows the trend observed in other European countries, fines could be significant. Furthermore, in the event of a dispute, the burden of proof will be reversed: it will be the employer who must demonstrate that there has been no pay discrimination, not the employee who must prove they have been wronged.

This reversal of the burden of proof is a powerful legal lever that should encourage companies towards proactivity rather than a wait-and-see approach.

What this means concretely for you

If you are an employee, you will soon be able to find out the average remuneration of your colleagues in similar positions. You will have a concrete tool for negotiating your salary and verifying that you are not the victim of unjustified inequality.

If you are looking for a job, offers will become much more legible, with mandatory salary ranges from the time the advertisement is published. You will no longer have to navigate in the dark.

If you are an employer, the time is now to prepare: audit your pay practices, prepare your reports, and above all ensure that your pay scales are justifiable and equitable. Companies that get ahead of the curve will have a competitive advantage in attracting talent in an increasingly demanding labour market.

Pay transparency is not just a regulatory constraint: it is a lever of trust and attractiveness for companies that know how to embrace it.