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Pay Transparency in Estonia

Estonia starting point

Refusing to implement (with a partial walk-back); indefinitely delayed. Highest gender pay gap in the EU.

What is Pay Transparency?

The EU Pay Transparency Directive (Directive (EU) 2023/970) is a binding EU law requiring pay equity for equal work between women and men. It introduces mandatory rules around salary disclosure, pay gap reporting, and worker rights — applying to all EU employers, public and private.

What employers must do in Estonia

Before hiring

  • Give applicants the initial pay level or range before the interview, and disclose it in job postings
  • Use gender-neutral job titles and job advertisements
  • Never ask candidates about their current or previous pay

During employment

  • Set objective, gender-neutral criteria for pay levels and pay progression
  • Make pay criteria and average pay levels by gender available on request, responding within 2 months
  • Inform employees annually of their right to request pay information

Reporting and monitoring

  • Report gender pay gap data on the schedule set for the employer's size (250+ first, then 150+, then 100+)
  • Where an unjustified gap of 5% or more is not corrected within 6 months, run a joint pay assessment with worker representatives
  • Penalties to be set by national law; Estonia has confirmed it will retain the ban on prior-pay questions and the duty to disclose salary ranges even while resisting full transposition

Who is covered?

Employer icon

All employers in Estonia - public and private

Worker icon

Full-time, part-time, temporary, and platform workers

Job applicant icon

Job applicants

Key deadlines

Transposition On 16 April 2026 the Economic Affairs Minister said Estonia would rather accept an EU fine than transpose, later partially walking it back
Reporting timeline The EU employer reporting deadline of 7 June 2027 for the largest employers still applies; the Commission has confirmed it will pursue infringement proceedings

How TalentUp can help you with Pay Transparency Compliance

Below you can see a preview of our platform, where we can help you comply with Pay Transparency Compliance.

Name Level Location Salary Labels Actions
John Doe
Software Developer
Mid
estonia
Tallinn
Estonia
32500 EUR
Above market
Unbalanced
Jane Smith
Project Manager
Senior
estonia
Tallinn
Estonia
45000 EUR
Above market
In Market
Michael Brown
Data Analyst
Mid
estonia
Tartu
Estonia
39000 EUR
Above market
In Market
Emily Johnson
QA Engineer
Mid
estonia
Tartu
Estonia
36000 EUR
Above market
In Market
Robert Wilson
HR Manager
Senior
estonia
Narva
Estonia
50000 EUR
Above market
Above Market
Sarah Davis
Marketing Specialist
Junior
estonia
Narva
Estonia
34000 EUR
In market
In Market

MEAN PAY

39.4K EUR

MEDIAN PAY

37.5K EUR

MEAN FEMALE PAY

38.3K EUR

MEDIAN FEMALE PAY

36K EUR

MEAN MALE PAY

40.5K EUR

MEDIAN MALE PAY

39K EUR

Gender gap

Variable pay by gender

General gender pay gap

Mean Male Pay N/A
Mean Female Pay N/A

Pay gap insights

Missing data

Add employee data to see pay gap insights

Tenure distribution

Pay gap per level (quartiles)

-

Male
Female

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