Current/expected salary on job applications?

[maybeTuesday]

My DH is taking voluntary redundancy from a senior role in a FTSE 100 company. He is looking for the same role in a similar company or (more likely) one step down in a different industry with the same skillset. Either way, it is likely he will be taking a pay cut (because his current company pays more than many others). He is fine with this, and has done some research on what "salary expectations" to put on applications. However, many applications ask for current salary too. I'm wondering if any recruiters have insight on how this information is used? Do you infer anything (positive or negative) if salary expectations are lower than current salary? Would you ever use the information to sift people out of the process before even reading their application?

Yes it's mostly an honesty test, but also a benchmarking opportunity.

It's awful behaviour. They ask it because the majority of the time people will be applying for higher salary jobs than they have currently, so they want to offer the lowest salary they can. A way of keeping people underpaid basically.

How can you find out what a private company pays their staff? Thats data protected under GDPR isnt it?

I wouldn't put a salary expectation in writing, it's something that the recruiter or HR person should discuss. And then it depends on the question - What is your current salary? is a different question to What are your salary expectations?

That said, either or both can be the start point of a negotiation.

So if AI or an agent were doing the first sift would they generally screen out people whose current salary was higher than the max salary on offer?

He can only put his current salary as when starting a new job they will ask for your tax info. I too would leave expected salary for discussion after initial interview at the earliest.

I often leave it blank ; would a recruiter really see this as dishonesty?
I guess I want them to pay me what they’ve graded the Job as rather than what I’m currently getting

Why would the recruiters see the tax code of the person when they actually start the role?

And they might have had some time off.

@sunburn https://www.gov.uk/paye-forms-p45-p60-p11d

This happened to a relative of mine and came back to bite him tbh. Salary's ballpark given, relative on a lot more (think 80k v 400k in previous job) but would have been better work life balance. Recruiter was gobsmacked and said something like "over qualified". Can't win in this situation so just be honest.

Why would a recruiter see peoples individual P45/p11d/p60?

Do you mean payroll and maybe internal HR can see them? Yes, but not recruitment. Why would they? That's personal data and protected under GDPR.

I'm looking for a new job and talking to both external recruitment people as well as internal talent people for new companies, none of them can see what I currently earn at my current company or what I put on my latest tax return.

I always say market rate for my experience