{"id":1195,"date":"2026-07-28T10:40:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T08:40:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.konnekt.com\/about\/?post_type=resource&p=1195"},"modified":"2026-10-14T15:03:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T13:03:49","slug":"from-pay-secrecy-to-pay-strategy-how-the-eu-pay-transparency-directive-impacts-recruitment","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/www.konnekt.com\/about\/from-pay-secrecy-to-pay-strategy-how-the-eu-pay-transparency-directive-impacts-recruitment\/","title":{"rendered":"Pay, compensation & compliance for Malta employers: 2026 Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This guide is intended as general information and does not constitute legal advice. For advice specific to your organisation, consult a qualified employment lawyer.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rules around recruitment and pay in Malta have changed. Malta has transposed the EU Pay Transparency Directive<\/a> through the Equal Pay (Transparency and Reporting) Regulations, 2026, L.N. 173 of 2026<\/a>, published on 5 June 2026. The Regulations now form a key part of Malta\u2019s legal framework for equal pay and pay transparency before and during employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the legal details are best reviewed with employment lawyers, this article explains how Malta\u2019s new regulations affect recruitment, salary transparency and HR strategy. Employers should now focus on compliance while also using greater pay transparency to strengthen recruitment and employer branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do Malta\u2019s Equal Pay Regulations require?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At their core, the regulations require employers to have pay structures that ensure equal pay between women and men performing equal work or work of equal value. These structures must allow roles to be compared using objective, gender-neutral criteria, including skills, effort, responsibility and working conditions, together with other relevant factors and soft skills where appropriate. Where employee representatives exist, the relevant criteria must be agreed with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a glance, here\u2019s what the Maltese regulations require:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • Applicants must receive information about the initial pay or pay range for the position, based on objective and gender-neutral criteria, before the recruitment process is concluded. Relevant collective agreement provisions must also be provided where applicable.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Employers, including anyone recruiting on their behalf, may not ask applicants about pay received in their current or previous employment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Job titles and vacancy notices must be gender-neutral, and recruitment processes must be conducted in a non-discriminatory manner.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Employers must establish pay structures that ensure equal pay for equal work or work of equal value.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Workers have specific rights to written information about their own pay and comparative average pay levels, and pay progression.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Employers with at least 100 workers will have formal gender pay-gap reporting duties, although the first reporting dates vary by workforce size.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    How does this change your hiring process?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The new Maltese framework significantly shifts both the power dynamic and the timing of salary conversations. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Visual<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    1. Salary conversations happen earlier<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Applicants have the right to receive the initial pay or pay range before the recruitment process is concluded, in a way that supports informed and transparent negotiations. The Regulations do not expressly require every salary range to appear in the job advert, but employers must decide when and how the information will be provided consistently and early enough to meet the legal requirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Publishing the range in the advert may still be the best approach, even where it is not expressly required. It can level the playing field, reduce unsuitable applications and build trust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. No more asking about current pay<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Employers and anyone recruiting on their behalf must not ask candidates about their pay history in either current or previous employment relationships. Hiring decisions should instead be based on the value of the position and on objective criteria relevant to the role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This is an opportunity to reset how we define \u201cworth.\u201d Rather than anchoring offers to a candidate\u2019s previous employer, we begin by defining what the role is truly worth in our organisation, placing equity and objectivity at the centre of our offer strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3. Candidates and employees are more informed<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Expect sharper questions about internal pay equity, career progression and how job roles are evaluated. If challenged, employers must be able to justify how job evaluation and categorisation were done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Transparency invites scrutiny, but it also offers an opportunity. Organisations that can explain their internal structures with confidence and fairness will stand out. Those that cannot may see top talent walk away, even if the salary is attractive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    4. Differences must be justified<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The regulations do not prohibit every difference in pay between people performing the same work or work of equal value. Differences and pay progression may be based on objective, gender-neutral and bias-free criteria, including performance and competence.<\/p>\n\n\n