Gen Z employees more open to discuss salaries with co-workers

Nearly 40% of Gen Z respondents say they openly talk about their salaries at work, almost double the rate among Gen X, according to a recent poll by career tool Kickresume, which gathered responses from 1,850 anonymous employees worldwide.

Gen Z, often defined as those who were born between 1997 and 2012 (aged 13-28), is the first generation to grow up with the internet. Gen X comprises those who were born between 1965 and 1980 (aged 45-60).

Even workplace restrictions cannot stop some of the Gen Z employees from discussing pay. The survey found that 18% of them have talked about their pay despite employer prohibitions.

Curiosity also plays a role: 32% of young respondents admit they are genuinely interested in co-workers’ compensation, with younger women leading that trend.

For these reasons, 49% of Gen Z respondents support total openness, compared to just 14% who prefer to keep pay private.

Although discussing pay may feel uncomfortable, experts say it is what the modern workforce needs.

"Salary transparency benefits everyone. The more open we are about what we make, it forces the powers that be to make fair and equitable decisions," career coach Anna Papalia said an interview with Fortune.

"The only reason an organization wouldn’t want their employees talking about pay is if they have something to hide," she added.

Most companies, however, still consider pay discussion a taboo and even impose regulations against it.

Only 31% say salary is discussed openly at their job, while 37% work somewhere that bans talking about pay, the Kickresume’s poll found.

Results also vary by region. While one-third of respondents in Europe say that salary is an open topic, the ratio is only a quarter in Asia.

Studies have shown that salary transparency helps resolve some of the issues in the system.

A 2025 study from the American Economic Journal on Pay Transparency and Gender Equality reported that "four out of six papers find that pay transparency policies reduce the gender pay gap."

Papalia emphasized that openness is one of the most effective tools for achieving pay equity: "While women and people of color have been historically paid less, one of the best ways to break pay inequality is to be transparent about pay."