Partner
Phil Murphy, New Jersey’s Governor signed “Executive Order #1” hours after being sworn in which bans the practice of inquiries into salary history during the hiring of public employees. The order took effect February 1st, 2018 and is aimed at helping eliminate the gender wage gap in New Jersey.
Currently women earn approximately 80% of what men earn in N.J. and closing that gap becomes more difficult to close if an employees earnings follow them from job to job. The law prohibits an employer from asking about current and past compensation and also prohibits them from searching publicly for that information.
The governor also indicated there are more protections forthcoming to offer further protections to employees such as a statewide salary history inquiry bill. These measures are are intended to level the playing field for women by forcing employers to offer fair compensation for a job regardless of sex.
Know Your Rights
If you feel your rights have been violated during the hiring process either based on your sex or other protected characteristic such as race or ethnicity it’s important to contact an employment lawyer to protect yourself.