In an effort to strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 2003 and start to close the gender and racial wage gaps, Governor JB Pritzker signed the new No Salary History law. When the law goes into effect on September 29th, 2019 companies won’t be able to require applicants to disclose previous salary information and if applicants do make a voluntary disclosure, companies may not use the information to make hiring or salary decisions.
The fight for equal pay has been figuring more into the news after the US Women’s National Soccer Team won the World Cup and fans discovered the women would earn approximately $90,000 during their championship though the men’s team would have earned $550,000 for the same run.
It’s not only a matter of personal privacy, salary history inquiries have been found to be a contributing factor in both gender and racial pay gaps. Studies have shown that one of the most effective ways to fight poverty is to close the wage gap and improve the earnings of women. This bill was proposed and passed twice by the Illinois State House before being vetoed by the former governor, Rauner.
For every dollar a white man earns:
- Black women earn $0.61
- Native American women earn $0.56
- Latina women earn $0.53
This disparity can lead a woman of color to earn $1 million less than a white man over the same length of a career.
BCS Placement is thrilled to hear that this bill has passed. We work hard to ensure that women are treated equally in the workplaces we represent. It’s been too long of a wait for workplace equality and this law will help close the racial and gender wage gap. The focus of a great hire should depend on the skills, experiences and references of the candidate in question. As always, we encourage you to reach out to us to find the perfect candidate for your open position, or if you’re looking to explore new opportunities. With unemployment at an historic low, this may be the perfect time to take a chance and test the waters. We look forward to hearing from you!
