EU Pay Transparency Directive Status Finland: Bill Submitted to Parliament (HE 129/2026), Target 1 Jan 2027
Finland's transposition has moved from working-group drafts to a formal bill before Parliament. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health published working group proposals in May 2025 to amend the existing Act on Equality Between Women and Men, and a formal draft government proposal was circulated for comments with a deadline of 9 February 2026. That process slipped past the government's original May 2026 target, and the bill had not reached Parliament by the 7 June 2026 EU deadline, so Finland missed it. On 9 July 2026 the government approved and submitted the bill, Government Bill HE 129/2026, to Parliament. It would fully transpose the Directive by amending the Act on Equality Between Women and Men, and proposes an entry-into-force date of 1 January 2027, with parliamentary consideration beginning in the autumn 2026 session. As of this update the bill has not yet passed; until it does, the current 30-employee equality-plan and pay-survey regime described below remains the operative law.
What is Pay Transparency, and who does it apply to?
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.
Finland's existing gender pay framework is the Act on Equality Between Women and Men (609/1986), in force since 1 January 1987, which already requires employers with 30 or more staff to draw up equality plans including a pay survey every two years (extendable to three years by local agreement). Finland missed the 7 June 2026 EU-wide deadline to transpose the Pay Transparency Directive, but on 9 July 2026 the government submitted its transposition bill, Government Bill HE 129/2026, to Parliament, proposing an entry-into-force date of 1 January 2027.
Under current Finnish law, the equality-plan and pay-survey duty applies to employers with 30 or more employees. Government Bill HE 129/2026, submitted to Parliament on 9 July 2026, would extend certain transparency rights to all employers regardless of size, with gender pay gap reporting duties proposed to begin at 100 or more employees, targeting 1 January 2027, though none of this is in force until the bill passes.
What employers must do in Finland
All employers under current Finnish law
- Avoid unjustified pay differences between men and women performing the same work or work of equal value under the Act on Equality Between Women and Men
Employers with 30 or more employees, current law
- Maintain a written equality plan updated at least every two years (up to three years by local agreement)
- Include a pay survey comparing pay across employee groups by gender within the equality plan
- Identify and explain any pay differences found in the survey
All employers, under Government Bill HE 129/2026, submitted to Parliament 9 July 2026 (not yet in force)
- Disclose a pay range to job applicants before interview or in the job advertisement
- Refrain from asking candidates about their salary history
- Respond to employee requests for written pay comparison information
Employers with 100 or more employees, under HE 129/2026 (not yet in force)
- Report gender pay gap data, expected to be channeled through the Incomes Register
Key deadlines
Penalties for non-compliance in Finland
No transparency-specific fine schedule exists yet since the law is still a draft; under current law the Equality Ombudsman can set a compliance deadline and, if ignored, the National Non-Discrimination and Equality Tribunal can impose conditional fines.
The Ombudsman for Equality oversees compliance today, with the National Non-Discrimination and Equality Tribunal handling enforcement orders and fines, and Statistics Finland expected to play a role in future gender pay gap data collection.
How TalentUp can help you with Pay Transparency Compliance
Below you can see a preview of our platform, where we help you stay compliant with Pay Transparency by spotting pay inconsistencies and structural risks in your compensation strategy, analysing data from your company.
Book a demo| Name | Level | Location | Salary | Labels | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
John Doe
Software Developer
|
Mid
|
Helsinki
Finland
|
32500 EUR
Above market
|
Unbalanced
|
|
|
Jane Smith
Project Manager
|
Senior
|
Helsinki
Finland
|
45000 EUR
Above market
|
In Market
|
|
|
Michael Brown
Data Analyst
|
Mid
|
Espoo
Finland
|
39000 EUR
Above market
|
In Market
|
|
|
Emily Johnson
QA Engineer
|
Mid
|
Espoo
Finland
|
36000 EUR
Above market
|
In Market
|
|
|
Robert Wilson
HR Manager
|
Senior
|
Tampere
Finland
|
50000 EUR
Above market
|
Above Market
|
|
|
Sarah Davis
Marketing Specialist
|
Junior
|
Tampere
Finland
|
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
Pay gap insights
Add employee data to see pay gap insights
Tenure distribution
Pay gap per level (quartiles)
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Frequently asked questions about pay transparency in Finland
Yes. The EU-wide deadline was 7 June 2026 and Finland had not passed its transposition law by that date; Finnish legislation remains in draft form as of the latest research.