6 November 2026

Although many member states missed the 7 June 2026 deadline to transpose the provisions of the EU Pay Transparency Directive – which was adopted in 2023 – into their national lawbooks, the directive and the principles it embodies are already shaping conversations and claims trends regarding equal pay.

The key concept in the directive is ‘work of equal value’, which will need to be determined through gender-neutral job evaluation exercises based on, as a minimum, skills, effort, responsibility and working conditions. Some countries have implemented the directive; others are still debating legislation; and some have yet to see draft legislation.

Key takeaways

• Multinationals need a co-ordinated but country-specific approach as rules and timelines.
• Employers must be able to objectively assess and justify whether different jobs constitute work of equal value.
• Employers should review job classifications, pay setting processes and employee representative engagement now to reduce claims risk.