The new law, banning employers from asking about salary history, goes into effect Jan 1, 2018. AB 168 also requires employers to provide the pay scale on request – no more, “tell us what you made before, and we’ll tell you if you might be a candidate for the position.”
This has the potential to reshape the contractor-based industries. The new law says, “An employer, upon reasonable request, shall provide the pay scale for a position to an applicant applying for employment.” It doesn’t say, “shall provide pay scale for those applicants who are being seriously considered for the job.” It means info about job rates will be public, and job-seekers can compare rates across companies.
The law was enacted to prevent discrimination against women based on past discrimination; it looks like a tremendous boon to anyone who’s looking to switch industries, or who’s been stuck in a low-wage job while they learned more skills and had more responsibilities heaped on them.
It also means hiring managers will be scrambling to figure out how to rate applicants if they can’t use past salary as their quick y/n for “is this person maybe a fit for this position?”