Data study · 5 November 2026
How many UK job adverts hide the salary?
Between a quarter and two fifths. We checked 2250 live UK job adverts across 15 common searches: 27% on Reed and 42% on Adzuna gave no salary. On BOQQS it is 0%, because an advert without pay is not published.
- Adverts checked
- 2250
- on 5 November 2026
- No salary on Reed
- 27%
- of 1500 adverts
- No salary on Adzuna
- 42%
- of 750 adverts
- On BOQQS
- 0%
- an advert without pay is not published
Reed adverts with no salary
27%
403 of 1500
Adzuna adverts with no stated salary
42%
312 of 750
BOQQS adverts with no salary
0%
A stated salary is a listing rule
By job — Reed
| Search | Adverts | No salary | Share hidden |
|---|---|---|---|
| project manager | 100 | 54 | 54% |
| solicitor | 100 | 52 | 52% |
| administrator | 100 | 48 | 48% |
| marketing manager | 100 | 40 | 40% |
| nurse | 100 | 39 | 39% |
| warehouse operative | 100 | 33 | 33% |
| accountant | 100 | 27 | 27% |
| site manager | 100 | 25 | 25% |
| software engineer | 100 | 24 | 24% |
| electrician | 100 | 18 | 18% |
| quantity surveyor | 100 | 16 | 16% |
| sales executive | 100 | 16 | 16% |
| healthcare assistant | 100 | 5 | 5% |
| care assistant | 100 | 4 | 4% |
| teacher | 100 | 2 | 2% |
By job — Adzuna
| Search | Adverts | No salary | Share hidden |
|---|---|---|---|
| nurse | 50 | 47 | 94% |
| electrician | 50 | 41 | 82% |
| solicitor | 50 | 31 | 62% |
| software engineer | 50 | 29 | 58% |
| teacher | 50 | 25 | 50% |
| marketing manager | 50 | 25 | 50% |
| healthcare assistant | 50 | 23 | 46% |
| administrator | 50 | 23 | 46% |
| quantity surveyor | 50 | 21 | 42% |
| site manager | 50 | 17 | 34% |
| accountant | 50 | 16 | 32% |
| project manager | 50 | 9 | 18% |
| sales executive | 50 | 4 | 8% |
| care assistant | 50 | 1 | 2% |
| warehouse operative | 50 | 0 | 0% |
How we measured it
On 5 November 2026 we ran 15 common UK job searches through the Reed and Adzuna job search APIs and recorded whether each advert carried a salary. On Reed, an advert with neither a minimum nor a maximum salary counts as hidden. On Adzuna, an advert counts as hidden when it has no salary or the salary shown is Adzuna's own prediction rather than the employer's figure.
The two boards disagree because they hold different adverts and treat missing pay differently, so we report both rather than average them. Results are the first page of each search, so they reflect what a job seeker sees first, not every advert on each board. Some adverts may appear on both.
Common questions
- What share of UK job adverts hide the salary?
- Between 27% and 42%, depending on the job board. Of 1500 adverts on Reed, 403 gave no salary (27%). Of 750 on Adzuna, 312 gave no salary or only Adzuna's own estimate (42%). Sampled 5 November 2026.
- Which jobs are most likely to hide the pay?
- On Reed, project manager adverts were the worst: 54% gave no salary. Care and teaching adverts almost always stated pay, because those roles are paid on published scales or close to the minimum wage.
- Do employers have to show the salary in the UK?
- No. There is no general legal requirement in the UK to include pay in a job advert. Some employers and sectors choose to, and public sector roles usually do.