Hiring questions
Do candidates need to know the pay before the interview?
Yes. Since 13 July 2026, an employer in Estonia must give every applicant the pay or pay range for the job before the job interview, in a form that can be reproduced in writing. The advert is the usual place, but an email before the interview also counts. Asking a candidate what they earn now or earned before is not allowed.
What the law says
The change is in the Employment Contracts Act. Parliament adopted it on 17 June 2026 and it has applied since 13 July 2026 (RT I, 03.07.2026, 27). It brings part of the EU pay transparency directive into Estonian law. Two new paragraphs matter for hiring.
„Tööandja ei tohi küsida töölesoovija varasema või praeguse töötasu kohta.”
Töölepingu seadus § 11 lõige 2¹
In English, the employer may not ask a job applicant about their previous or current pay.
„Tööandja esitab töölesoovijale teabe pakutava töökoha töötasu või selle vahemiku kohta
kirjalikku taasesitamist võimaldavas vormis, eelkõige töökuulutuses või muul viisil,
enne töövestlust.”
Töölepingu seadus § 11 lõige 2²
In English, the employer gives the applicant the pay or the pay range of the job in a form that can be reproduced in writing, above all in the job advert or in another way, before the job interview. If a collective agreement adds pay terms, the applicant has to be told those too.
The same act says an employer may not stop an employee from telling others what they earn (§ 28 lõige 2 punkt 14), and the Labour Inspectorate supervises the rule on pay information (§ 115).
What to do now
- Put the pay in the advert. A fixed amount or a realistic range. It is the simplest way to meet the rule, and the advert is already a written record.
- Or send it in writing before every interview. An email with the pay to each person you invite also meets the rule. A phone call alone leaves nothing in writing.
- Remove the salary history question. Take current and previous salary out of application forms and interview questions. Asking what pay someone expects is a different question, and the law does not forbid it.
- Mention collective agreement terms if your workplace has an agreement that adds to the pay.
- Drop pay secrecy clauses. A contract cannot stop an employee from saying what they earn.
How Staffholm handles it
Staffholm never asks candidates what they earn or earned. When you invite someone to an interview, the pay from your advert goes into the invitation. If the advert has no pay, Staffholm tells you before you send.
A job advert template with the pay in it →
Checked on 24 September 2026 against the act itself in Riigi Teataja (RT I, 03.07.2026, 27) and the EU pay transparency directive 2023/970. This page explains the rule in plain words and is not legal advice.