Half of Generation Z Keeps Their Salary 'Secret' Even in Romantic Relationships

74% of Gen Z job seekers opposed the disclosure of salaries among colleagues. The range within which they are willing to disclose their salary is limited to family, with more than half not sharing it even with their partners.

AI matching recruitment content platform Catch surveyed 2,437 Gen Z job seekers about their opinions on 'salary disclosure among workplace colleagues.' As a result, 74% responded that they “oppose salary disclosure,” while 26% said they “support it.”

Photo by Jin Hak Sa Catch

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The main reason for opposition was “it is personal information and feels burdensome,” receiving 61% of responses. This was followed by “it could cause conflicts” at 14%, and “others might feel uncomfortable” at 13.6%, showing similar proportions. Other opinions included “it might cause stress due to competition (11%).”

Conversely, among those who answered “support,” the most common reason was “I think there is no need to hide it,” at 64%, followed by “to refer to when changing jobs or negotiating salary” at 23%. Next were “to check if evaluations are fair” at 7%, and “to use it as motivation” at 5%.

Gen Z job seekers indicated that the range within which they can disclose their salary is limited to 'family.' 75% said they can inform their family about their salary. In contrast, only 48% said they would share it with their 'partner,' slightly less than half. Other groups included ▲friends (30%) ▲relatives (7%) ▲work colleagues (4%) ▲work supervisors/juniors (2%) in that order.

The most preferred salary determination method was the 'step system,' where salary is paid according to years of service, at 38%, followed closely by the 'performance-based system' at 36%. Additionally, the 'job-based pay system,' where salary varies by job, accounted for 26%.

Kim Jeong-hyun, head of Catch at Jinhaksa, said, “While salary disclosure has been institutionalized in some countries, there are clear concerns such as conflicts arising within the company if salaries are disclosed. If you are curious about objective salary levels, checking through recruitment sites or salary interviews is also one method.”

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