Pay

9.1% of UK salary ranges are so wide the top is at least 1.5 times the bottom

Pay transparency, checked: 4,595 advertised salary ranges from 1,745 UK employers.

Data to 28 October 2026
James Costello
By James Costello, Founder · last updated 28 October 2026

Showing a salary range is meant to tell candidates what a job pays. Across 1,745 UK employers, 9.1% of the ranges they advertise have a top figure at least 1.5 times the bottom, as wide as "£30,000 to £45,000".

1.9% of ranges are at least double, and the typical range's top is 1.2x its bottom.

By sector

Wide ranges are most common in finance & insurance (21.7%).

  1. Finance & insurance: 21.7%
  2. Wholesale & retail: 11.8%
  3. Professional, scientific & technical: 11.1%
  4. Education: 10.8%
  5. Health & social care: 10.2%
  6. Real estate: 10%
  7. Transport & storage: 9.3%
  8. Other services: 9.2%

How we measured it

We took job adverts on UK employers' own careers pages that show a salary range (not a single figure) and compared the top of the range with the bottom. Each employer counts equally.

A salary range too wide to be useful tells the candidate almost nothing. We track how many adverts are too wide to count as advertised pay.
— James Costello, Founder, ProdReady Recruitment
Headline
9.1%

9.1% of UK job adverts with a salary range give a top figure at least 1.5 times the bottom (averaged across employers; n=1,745 employers).

Sample: 1,745 employers · source: UK employers' careers pages · data to 28 October 2026

By sector

SectorFigureSample (employers)In words
Finance & insurance 21.7% 63 Finance & insurance: 21.7% of salary ranges are 1.5 times wide or more (n=63 employers).
Wholesale & retail 11.8% 121 Wholesale & retail: 11.8% of salary ranges are 1.5 times wide or more (n=121 employers).
Professional, scientific & technical 11.1% 196 Professional, scientific & technical: 11.1% of salary ranges are 1.5 times wide or more (n=196 employers).
Education 10.8% 147 Education: 10.8% of salary ranges are 1.5 times wide or more (n=147 employers).
Health & social care 10.2% 247 Health & social care: 10.2% of salary ranges are 1.5 times wide or more (n=247 employers).
Real estate 10% 48 Real estate: 10% of salary ranges are 1.5 times wide or more (n=48 employers).
Transport & storage 9.3% 45 Transport & storage: 9.3% of salary ranges are 1.5 times wide or more (n=45 employers).
Other services 9.2% 120 Other services: 9.2% of salary ranges are 1.5 times wide or more (n=120 employers).
Arts, entertainment & recreation 7.8% 53 Arts, entertainment & recreation: 7.8% of salary ranges are 1.5 times wide or more (n=53 employers).
Administrative & support services 7.4% 93 Administrative & support services: 7.4% of salary ranges are 1.5 times wide or more (n=93 employers).
Information & communication 7.3% 184 Information & communication: 7.3% of salary ranges are 1.5 times wide or more (n=184 employers).
Construction 6.1% 137 Construction: 6.1% of salary ranges are 1.5 times wide or more (n=137 employers).
Hospitality & food service 5.9% 80 Hospitality & food service: 5.9% of salary ranges are 1.5 times wide or more (n=80 employers).
Manufacturing 5% 129 Manufacturing: 5% of salary ranges are 1.5 times wide or more (n=129 employers).

About the author

James Costello
James Costello
Founder, ProdReady Recruitment

The research is produced by the founder of ProdReady Recruitment, a UK AI recruitment business. Every figure on this page is computed from UK employers' careers pages, and the text-reading measures are checked by hand against real pages.

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James Costello (2026). The widest salary ranges. ProdReady Recruitment. Data to 28 October 2026. https://ProdReadyRecruitment.com/research/wide_salary_ranges

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