AAM Job HQ to Require Salary Effective November 15

AAM has posted salary information on our job descriptions for many years. Along with others in the field, we have been urging museums to take this and other important actions to work toward more equitable hiring, retention, and promotion of people working in museums.

A recent audit of AAM’s JobHQ job board posts shows real progress toward increased salary transparency in the field, with the vast majority of JobHQ posts now voluntarily including salary information. Many other job boards and municipalities have moved toward making salary ranges a requirement on job postings, and many of you have told us these requirements, coupled with AAM’s resources on how to implement this have helped you to make the changes in your institutions. Critically, job seekers have reported that knowing the salary ranges for positions upfront have eased the burden of finding a new job and negotiating a fair salary.

Effective November 15, 2022, the salary field on job postings shared on AAM’s JobHQ will be required. We know that salary transparency practices can’t thoughtfully take place overnight or in isolation. It requires a critical look at current practices and, for many, the collaboration and approval of parent organizations, boards, and other entities. With this advanced notice, we urge museums to begin making the policy reviews and changes, benchmarking, and compensation studies required to holistically implement these important practices.

There is still much work to do in creating equitable workplaces, and we will continue to provide resources and guidance to museum professionals with hiring responsibilities and to job seekers. As always, we appreciate hearing your feedback on this change and examples of how it and other changes are working to improve equity in your workplace.