The trend of salary transparency is growing in Asia as more young individuals are disclosing their salaries on social media.

Discussing compensation openly remains taboo in one part of the world, despite the growing importance of pay transparency as organizations adapt to new regulations.

A 2024 report by management consulting company Aon states that pay transparency and disclosure requirements in Asia are still developing, in contrast to the United States and some European markets.

While the majority of Asian organizations surveyed value pay transparency, "most Asian markets lack specific pay equity and transparency regulations," according to a report that polled over 350 human resource professionals in the region.

Aon's head of talent solutions for APAC, Peter Zhang, stated that in many Asian companies, employees are discouraged from disclosing their salary information to colleagues, which is often stipulated in employment contracts or considered an unwritten rule.

"The reason for this may be due to cultural norms and the immaturity of compensation practices and processes. Furthermore, Asian economic and labor markets are more dynamic and volatile, leading employers to pay a premium to selected groups of talent in order to gain a competitive advantage."

Zhang stated that another challenge is the absence of "management maturity" and "skills in handling sensitive compensation discussions" in the region.

While many companies in Asia (84%) keep pay transparency limited to internal stakeholders, some places like California and New York have laws that mandate companies to disclose pay ranges on job postings.

While "regulation and compliance" (72%) is currently the top driver of pay transparency practices in Asia, Gen-Zers and millennials in the region are taking the lead in driving change online.

Young people lead the movement

Global youth are discussing their earnings on social media.

TikTok user Karishma Jashani, 28, from Singapore, has gained popularity by discussing her career, particularly her earnings in technology sales.

She revealed that her TikTok video, which has received 500,000 views, earns her more than $223,000 annually.

"Jashani stated to CNBC Make It that the objective of sharing was to empower individuals. He emphasized that he does not intend to limit access to this way of living, as only certain people can do it. Instead, he emphasized that anyone is capable of achieving it."

Jashani and Prestine Davekhaw are among the young people in Asia striving for pay transparency in the region.

In 2022, a 32-year-old founded MalaysianPAYGAP, a brand with over 300,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok, known for their man-on-the-street interviews asking people about their income.

Davekhaw, a freelance photographer, found it challenging to determine her service rates when others in the industry kept their pricing information private. To address this issue, she turned to crowdsourcing and publicly shared the information on social media.

"Within one week of starting on Instagram, we went super viral in Malaysia. That's when I realized how many industries could benefit from this," she stated.

She discovered significant disparities in knowledge and perspectives on career and finances among different age groups through street interviews. Davekhaw stated that younger individuals were more forthcoming about discussing their salaries, while older generations were more reserved.

She stated that they believe they must remain humble and low profile or risk being invited by their companies' HR departments for a talk.

She also noticed cultural differences when it comes to the salary conversation.

"When conducting street interviews in Malaysia, it is easier to engage in conversations with Malay individuals, but approaching Chinese people can be more challenging," she stated. "The Chinese culture emphasizes the importance of not revealing one's wealth, which contributes to their reserved nature."

Davekhaw stated that there are knowledge gaps when it comes to speaking up in the workplace.

The disparity is evident," she stated. "It is contingent upon your social standing, family heritage, and educational background, as we observe that individuals who attended prestigious universities are aware of the need to negotiate, whereas others may be taught to accept the current state of affairs and express gratitude.

""Our advocacy for pay transparency is achieved through conversation, and if it's considered taboo to discuss, this taboo is a cultural phenomenon that gives us the power to shape a different culture and remove the taboo," she stated."

It's only a matter of time before organizations in Asia acknowledge that people will talk anyways.

Whether HR departments choose to retain their own employees is at their discretion, according to her statement.

The HR perspective

Zhang from Aon stated that a lack of salary transparency can result in both inequality and risks for businesses.

"The absence of structured compensation processes and practices in an organization can lead to significant pay equity gaps when employees openly discuss salaries, resulting in employee dissatisfaction and legal and reputational risks."

"Transparency is essential for promoting fairness, building trust with candidates, improving the employee experience, and strengthening the company's reputation," he stated.

To achieve pay transparency, organizations must establish clear processes, prioritize pay equity, train employees and managers on compensation discussions, and do the necessary legwork.

He stated that as organizations improve their compensation practices, aim for pay equity, and enhance managerial skills, a significant transformation is expected to occur.

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