Candidate Salary Expectations Under the EU Pay Transparency Directive

The EU Pay Transparency Directive does not ban the salary expectations question, but it changes the order of the conversation. Here is what to ask, when, and what to do when expectations exceed your range.

Albert Mercadé Laborda 17 August 2026 13 min read

Candidates

Employer Branding in 2026: What Candidates Really Judge You On

Candidates judge your employer brand on signals they can verify: pay in the ad, how the hiring process treats them and how you answer criticism. Here is what the research and 21,800 job ads show.

Albert Mercadé Laborda 13 April 2026 14 min read

Candidates

Security Engineer Salary in Europe 2026: Pay, Demand and Skills

A data-led benchmark of cybersecurity pay and demand in Europe: median advertised salaries in six countries, SOC analysts to security architects, seniority steps, the skills and certifications employers ask for, and what NIS2 and DORA change.

Èlia Adroher i Llorens 18 January 2026 13 min read

Candidates

How to Increase Your Salary: 8 Career Levers and What Each One Pays

A practical, evidence-based guide to growing your pay: what promotions, internal moves, job changes, certifications, the management track, location and negotiation are worth, with TalentUp 2026 job-ad data and a 12-month plan.

Albert Mercadé Laborda 6 January 2026 15 min read

Pay transparency

Pay Transparency Job Posting: A Compliance Playbook for Recruiters

Article 5 of the EU Pay Transparency Directive rewrites the recruitment process: pay before the interview, no pay history questions and gender-neutral job titles. Here is the playbook, with a job ad template, an interview script and a checklist.

Albert Mercadé Laborda 24 November 2025 14 min read

Candidates

4-Day Week Results: What the Trials and Job Ad Data Really Show

The evidence behind the 4-day week: what the UK, Iceland, Portugal and Germany pilots really measured, where the research is weak, how pay and hourly rates change under each model, and how rarely 2026 job ads actually offer it.

Albert Mercadé Laborda 10 October 2025 17 min read

Candidates

Reverse Recruiting: When Companies Apply to Candidates

In a reverse job application, you publish your profile and asking salary, and employers come to you with an offer. Here is how the model works, what the evidence says and how pay transparency laws change it.

Albert Mercadé Laborda 14 September 2025 14 min read

Candidates

Most In-Demand Programming Languages 2026: Job Ad Data and Pay

A data-led ranking of programming languages, frameworks and tools in European developer job ads (January–September 2026): what employers ask for, what changed since 2025, how demand differs by country and which skills come with higher advertised pay.

Èlia Adroher i Llorens 12 September 2025 15 min read

Candidates

Layoffs and Salaries: How Layoffs Affect Pay in 2026

What layoffs do to pay for three groups: the people who lose their jobs, the people who stay and the wider job market. With research on displaced workers, official 2026 data, severance rules in five countries and TalentUp job-ad salaries.

Èlia Adroher i Llorens 21 July 2025 12 min read

Candidates

Sales Salary Europe 2026: Pay and Demand by Role and Country

A data-led benchmark of the European sales talent market: how many sales ads each role gets, median advertised base salary by role and country, how often ads mention commission or OTE, range width, remote and field work, and the skills and languages employers ask for.

Èlia Adroher i Llorens 28 June 2025 14 min read

Candidates

LGBTQ Wage Gap: What the Research Shows and What Employers Can Do

Gay and bisexual men tend to earn less than comparable heterosexual men, and trans workers face larger penalties. Here is what the evidence really says, where it is thin, and what employers can do about it.

TalentUp Team 19 June 2025 14 min read

Candidates

How to Implement a Four-Day Work Week: Models, Pilot and Legal Steps

A practical guide for HR: the four 4-day week models compared, a pilot plan with KPIs, the legal and contract checks in the EU, Belgium, Spain, the UK and the US, pay and holiday rules, and TalentUp data on the sectors where it is hardest.

Èlia Adroher i Llorens 22 May 2025 15 min read

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