By Marty Greenaway, Search Consultant
Ontario is nine months into its new pay transparency regulations.
Under the new rules, employers with 25 or more employees must generally include compensation information in publicly advertised job postings, with a range no wider than $50,000.
The disclosure requirement does not apply if the expected compensation or the top of the range exceeds $200,000.
The goal is to give job seekers more transparent information before they invest time in an application or interview process.
Candidates should keep in mind that the posted range does not necessarily tell the whole compensation story.
A role may include a significant discretionary bonus, pension contribution, equity, or other elements that materially affect the overall value of the opportunity.
Ontario’s guidance makes clear that the $50,000 limit applies to the range displayed in the public posting; it does not prevent an employer from maintaining a wider internal compensation range, and an employer is not required to make an offer at or within the posted range.
That does not mean additional compensation is always available, but it does mean the number in the posting may not capture the full compensation conversation.
There is a similar consideration on the employer side.
Salary bands can become outdated, particularly in specialized areas where market demand shifts quickly.
A range that was competitive when it was established may not attract the same talent 12 to 18 months later.
An employer may discover during a search that candidates with the required experience are seeking more than the approved range.
The challenge is that top candidates may have already filtered themselves out before the employer has a chance to find that out.
An organization can track applications, interviews and offers, but it cannot easily track the qualified people who saw the posting, reviewed the compensation and decided not to apply.
A small applicant pool could mean limited talent, an unattractive opportunity, outdated compensation, or that candidates decided the range wasn’t worth exploring.
This is the blind spot: the silent opt-out.
Pay transparency is intended to make hiring more informed, and it does provide useful information to both employers and candidates.
But information also changes behaviour.
Candidates can screen employers before applying, while employers communicate their compensation position before they know exactly who is on the market.
The posted range is therefore more than a compliance requirement; it is now one of the first impressions an organization makes on a potential candidate.
For employers, the lesson is to benchmark posted ranges against today’s market, not the market that existed when the band was set, and to treat a thin applicant pool as a potential compensation signal.
For candidates, the takeaway is simple: treat the posted range as a starting point, not a verdict.
If a role looks like a strong fit but the number seems low, it may still be worth a conversation.
Employers are not bound by the posted range, and the posting may not tell the full story.
This is where a recruiter can help.
A recruiter can often tell you what else is in the package and whether there is room to negotiate before you rule yourself out.
If the role interests you, have the conversation instead of letting the posting decide for you.