Will New York Salary Laws Help Dismal Hiring?

On September 17th, the State of New York enacted a new salary transparency law. Per the New York State Department of Labor's website:

"Effective 9/17/2023, New York State employers with 4 (four) or more employees must include a salary or salary range in their job postings for all jobs to be performed, at least in part, in the state of New York. The job posting must advertise the salary or salary range the employer believes, in good faith, to be true at the time of posting and should give the prospective applicant a legitimate idea of the expected pay."

This law brings the rest of the state up to par with a law enacted in New York City in 2022. Theoretically, this gives workers and edge and advantage when job hunting and interviewing. The law puts employers and job hunters on a proverbial even playing field.

But will it help with hiring quality employees?

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Local Hiring Is Not Easy

We've heard the news reports about the idea of work overall has shifted during and after the pandemic. Out of that has risen the "no one wants to work anymore" and "no one wants to work for those wages anymore" camps. I polled local businesses and hiring managers after hearing that hiring in Oneonta and the surrounding areas was a struggle. My findings surprisingly included little about wages.

Bobby Angilletta, owner of Sal's New Classic Pizzeria had this to say:

"Wages have not been a factor for my business. I pay well for those who are committed, loyal, and reliable. So while the recruiting, hiring, and retaining has been difficult, due to factors such as: drugs, poor work ethic, entitlement, Insufficient skill sets, lack of common sense, I feel blessed to have the crew that I have."

Local business owner Arley Evans Lau added:

"It’s hard to find people. We get some students but then they aren’t here for their breaks and summer time. I’d rather have someone all year round. People want/need more than min wage, but not all businesses can afford more."

As this new law is so new, it's hard to guage its immediate impact. Upon perusing Indeed for local jobs, I'm seeing positions that used to never list salary now have clear ranges, making job seekers know exactly what to expect. As job hunting is infinitely stressful, this takes one layer out of the equation, and job seekers can save time by applying for jobs that fit their needs and current pay scale.