COLORADO SPRINGS — The next time you’re looking for a job in Colorado, take a closer look at the job posting and see if the pay aligns with your expectations. Employers in the state are being fined if they don’t provide that pay transparency. Since 2021 it has been the law and the standard in the state.
”I was at a point where not only am I starting a family, but I was looking for a career change and something that was stable and concrete. So, I was looking for my career, my official career. I was tired of job-hopping. I was a serial job hopper for a while,” said Drew Moreno, who just wrapped up an intense job search.
He is now working at the Pikes Peak Workforce Center to help others do the same.
”There were a few applicants who were coming in who were not English speaking. I myself am bilingual and to be able to help the community in that way, that experience moving forward propels me even further day to day,” said Moreno.
He says Colorado’s requirement for employers to post the pay for each job he applied for completely changed his approach and his willingness to apply for more challenging work.
”It’s almost taboo,” said Moreno. “When I would get advice from people from previous generations like my parents and my grandparents they would always say just take what they give you. Be happy you have a job. I had that mindset going forward. I think with this policy change I think there’s going to be a change in the way this generation thinks about what your worth is as a worker.”
Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows Colorado’s average hourly wage grew 11.5% between January 2021, when the wage transparency law started, and May of this year. Other states like California and New York have taken notice; following Colorado’s lead, they are two of at least 20 states with some type of pay transparency law on the books now.
Leaders at the Pikes Peak Workforce Center say while some employers were frustrated by having to include salary ranges in job postings, many employers are evolving and reaching out to see what positions should actually pay.
”We have access to national databases that span all different job postings and really give us the industry standards. With businesses who are questioning it and wondering what they should pay, providing the actual data to them really gives them a foot in the door to be able to offer a quality job,” said executive director and CEO of the Pikes Peak Workforce Center Traci Marques.
As other states look to duplicate this kind of pay transparency, job seekers believe it’s making a difference.
”I know what they’re offering me. I know I can either ask for more and if they’re not willing to accommodate, I know there are other options,” said Moreno.
The inspiration and ultimate goal for this pay transparency law in Colorado is to try to close the pay gap for women and minorities.
While a majority of companies in the state have complied, some are being fined and still aren’t being transparent with pay scales.
