Connecticut: New Wage Transparency and Pay Equity Requirements, Coming Soon

Changes are coming soon for Connecticut employers in the realm of pay transparency and equity. House Bill No. 6380, effective October 1, 2021, will require employers to provide applicants and employees with wage range information under various circumstances. It also expands the standards used in gender wage discrimination claims and requires greater pay equity.

Wage Ranges. Employers are required to provide wage ranges—defined as the range of wages an employer anticipates relying on when setting wages for a position—under the following circumstances:

• Applicants: when an applicant requests a wage range, or prior to or at the time the applicant is made an offer of compensation;
• Employees: upon hire, when there is a change in the employee’s position with the employer, or the first time an employee makes a request for a wage range.

Pay Equity: Currently, employers are required to pay employees of different genders who perform equal work the same rate.  The bill amends the law to instead prohibit employers from paying workers of differing sexes less for comparable work. Exceptions that justify wage differentials have also been expanded to include level of credential, skill, and geographic location.

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