By Sophie Nieto-Munoz
A bill that would require New Jersey employers to include pay information in job postings advanced out of a state Senate committee Monday.
The bill, which includes fines for employers who skirt its requirements, is part of a broader trend toward pay transparency that supporters say is key to closing wage gaps between men and women. A handful of other states, including New York, have enacted similar laws.
Sen. Paul Moriarty, who sponsored the measure, said pay transparency benefits both job seekers and employers. People can spend weeks going through job interviews before knowing the compensation — “a large waste of time” for both sides if the pay isn’t enough for the applicant, Moriarty said. “I think it’s overdue,” said Moriarty (D-Gloucester).
Under the measure, employers would be required to include hourly pay or salary ranges in job postings. The postings must also include a general description of benefits and other compensation employees would be eligible for within the first year of employment.
New Jersey employers would also have to take “reasonable” steps to make opportunities for promotions known.
The maximum fines would range from $300 to $600 under amendments made to the bill, down from $1,000 to $10,000 in the original version. The New Jersey Business Industry Administration had originally opposed the legislation but said after those changes were made that it is taking no position on the bill.
The measure advanced unanimously out of the Senate Labor Committee. Its Assembly companion, introduced in April, still faces a hearing in the Assembly Labor Committee.
