Ontario is preparing for one of the most significant shifts in workplace transparency in recent years. Beginning January 1, 2026, employers with 25 or more employees will need to include salary ranges in job postings. Before that, on July 1, 2025, organizations must begin providing written employment details to new hires before day one.
Together, these changes will shape how employers communicate pay, how candidates evaluate opportunities, and how total rewards strategies evolve in a more transparent market.
Why Pay Transparency Matters
The move toward pay transparency is rooted in fairness and trust. Employees want to understand how compensation is determined, and candidates increasingly expect clarity before investing time in a recruitment process.
By making salary ranges visible, the Act encourages:
- More consistent and equitable pay decisions
- Improved access to opportunities for underrepresented groups
- Greater trust between employees and employers
- A stronger foundation for fair and competitive compensation
Pay clarity is not simply about posting numbers. It is about building confidence.
What Employers Need to Know About the New Requirements
- Salary Ranges in Job Postings (January 1, 2026)
Publicly advertised job postings must include an expected wage or salary range.
Key rules include:
- Applies to employers with 25+ employees
- Ranges must be specific and not overly broad
- Roles over 200,000 in expected compensation are exempt
- Compensation includes all monetary forms of pay linked to work
- Written Employment Information Before Day One (July 1, 2025)
Employers must provide:
- Legal name and business name
- Contact information
- Expected initial work location
- Starting wage
- Pay schedule
- Initial expected working hours
- Additional Posting Requirements (January 1, 2026)
Job postings must also:
- Disclose if AI is used in screening or selection
- Indicate whether the role is an existing vacancy or a new position
- Remove requirements for Canadian work experience
- Ensure interviewees are informed of hiring decisions within 45 days
These details will change the way candidates interact with job postings and increase expectations of clarity throughout the hiring process.
How Transparency Will Change Talent Competition
Once salary becomes visible, candidates will begin comparing more than just the compensation number. They will weigh the organization’s employee benefits strategy, culture, flexibility, wellbeing support, and growth opportunities as part of their decision-making process.
This creates a new dynamic for employers:
- Benefits become a primary differentiator
- Outdated or inconsistent pay structures become more visible
- Employers must be ready to explain how pay decisions are made
- Total rewards programs need to align with modern workforce needs
In many ways, transparency raises the bar for employers to demonstrate value beyond base salary.
Where Employee Benefits Consultants Fit In
Not every organization has the internal structure or expertise to redesign benefits and total rewards programs for a transparent market. This is where employee benefits consultants create meaningful impact.
Benefits consultants support employers by:
- Assessing the competitiveness of benefits plans
- Recommending updates based on employee needs and market trends
- Ensuring programs remain sustainable and strategic
- Helping organizations communicate benefits clearly and effectively
- Guiding compliance with new legislative requirements
- Strengthening the alignment between compensation and benefits
As pay transparency increases, the role of benefits consultants becomes more important. They help employers transform their benefits program into a competitive advantage, not just a cost of doing business.
How Benchmark Benefits Can Support Your Organization
Benchmark Benefits has partnered with organizations across Canada for nearly twenty years. Our approach is rooted in understanding workforce needs, employer goals, and the evolving landscape of total rewards.
We support employers with:
- Competitive benefits design that reflects the needs of today’s workforce
- Total rewards alignment that complements compensation structures
- Governance, communication, and internal guidance for managers
- Workforce analysis to ensure benefits support wellbeing and retention
- Preparation for the 2025 and 2026 legislation requirements
Transparency is not just about compliance. It is an opportunity to strengthen trust, clarify your value as an employer, and give people a clearer sense of the support they can expect.