'I earn $300k annually "

How younger workers are using social media to push for pay transparency

- Kolette Lim

Ms Karishma Jashani earns more than $300,000 annually working in tech sales.

This is not a secret she has shared it with her 25,000 followers on TikTok and anyone who chances upon her account, where she details her job scope and what she does daily. She also shares tips, such as what those looking for a similar job should keep an eye on in their salary packages.

"I wanted to empower women because there are not many people who know you can earn that much in tech sales, and it's a male-dominated industry," said the 28-year-old.

"It's important for people to know the salaries in the market as a way to benchmark themselves; if there are gaps, to find out why that's the case and at least there's a sense of accountability for employers too."

Ms Jashani is among a growing group of people in their 20s and 30s both men and women breaking the taboo around salary talk. Both in workplaces and online, younger workers have been sharing their salary details with colleagues and fellow social media users.

"I think a lot of younger people want to discuss it. It's less common here than in America and Europe, but I think Gen Zs will move towards these conversations," said Ms Jashani.

Globally, pay transparency has been increasingly practiced in workplaces worldwide. States in the US, such as New York and Colorado, have in place transparency laws to ensure job seekers and employees have access to salary information.

Singapore does not have laws that require companies to disclose salary ranges, but younger employees are taking matters into their own hands.

IS PAY TRANSPARENCY A BOON OR A BANE?

When Ms Joy Wang was working as a growth product manager at a fashion tech start-up, she learnt from a counterpart who had a similar job scope that he was paid 66 per cent more than her.

This prompted her to ask for a promotion and a pay rise.