Croatia to require employers to disclose starting pay before interviews

Croatia is preparing amendments to its Law on Labour Relations that would require employers to inform job candidates of the starting salary or the salary range before or during the job interview. The draft is open for public consultation until 2 December 2026.

The proposal aims to increase pay transparency and strengthen workers' rights, and it would apply to foreign employees as well, including Macedonian nationals employed in Croatia. Employers would also be prohibited from asking candidates about their previous salaries.

Under the draft, employees would gain the right to request information on the average earnings of colleagues performing the same or similar work. Those statistics would be published with a gender breakdown to reveal potential pay gaps between men and women.

Key obligations and penalties

Companies would be obliged to establish clear criteria for setting wages and to provide the requested information; failure to comply would trigger administrative sanctions. The amendments also introduce changes to rules on taking annual leave, particularly for workers who were unable to use leave on time because of illness or parental responsibilities.

Croatian authorities say the changes are intended to align national law with European rules on pay transparency. If adopted, employers would receive at least six months to adapt to the new obligations.

The draft remains open for comments until 2 December 2026, after which the legislature may consider further revisions before voting on the final text.

Photo: press material from the event