AI and Salary Transparency: How Recruitment Processes Are Changing
What the intersection between AI and the new European regulation means for the future of HR in Italy
In recent months, two topics have sparked public debate around work: the introduction of AI into recruitment processes and the new European directive on salary transparency.
Two phenomena often discussed separately, but which in reality converge on a single point: the profound transformation of HR teams’ work.
When major media outlets began talking about AI agents supporting recruitment decisions and, at the same time, about salaries becoming explicit in job postings, it became clear that these are not just passing trends.
They are signals of a structural shift: today, HR is expected to be faster, more transparent, and more consistent within an increasingly complex environment.
Salary transparency as the new standard in recruitment
The European directive on pay transparency introduces clear obligations for companies: stating the salary or a salary range in job postings, refraining from asking candidates about their previous compensation, and making job grading criteria more transparent.
But beyond the regulatory aspect, the message runs deeper.
Salary transparency shifts recruitment from a negotiation-driven process to a structured and comparable one, where decisions must be explainable and consistent.
For HR teams, this means rethinking:
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how roles are defined,
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how skills are assessed,
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how fairness is built across different profiles.
It’s not just a matter of compliance, but of process maturity.
More transparency means more complexity for HR teams
Making salaries transparent does not automatically simplify the work.
On the contrary, it increases the level of attention required at every stage of the recruitment process.
Every shortlist, every interview, every offer must be:
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consistent with the role,
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aligned with the market,
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defensible over time.
In a context where application volumes are growing and candidate expectations are rising, the risk is that transparency becomes an additional operational burden for HR teams that are already under pressure.
This is where a key question emerges:
how can this complexity be managed without slowing down recruitment?
AI enters recruitment (but not in the way many imagine)
When it comes to AI in recruitment, the media narrative often tends to exaggerate: machines that “decide who to hire” or algorithms replacing human judgment.
Reality, as shown by the most advanced applications, is different.
AI does not step in to make decisions instead of people, but to support processes that today are overly fragmented and manual.
CV screening, matching requirements with skills, shortlist management: repetitive yet critical activities that require consistency and strong contextual awareness.
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Why Vertical AI Agents Are the Answer to the Complexity of Modern HR
This is where the difference between generic solutions and vertical AI agents becomes clear.
A vertical agent is designed to operate within a specific domain, following its rules, priorities, and decision-making criteria.
In recruitment, this means:
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applying consistent ranking logic,
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reducing the risk of bias
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maintaining alignment between role, skills, and compensation,
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supporting more transparent and traceable processes.
In a context of increased regulatory and media exposure, AI verticalization becomes a factor of reliability: not just efficiency.
As highlighted by Enrico Ariotti, Co-founder and CEO of nCore HR:
“The real value of AI in recruitment is not about moving faster, but about doing things better. In a market that demands transparency, AI must first understand the context.”
As demonstrated by the recent launch of Claire: the first vertical AI agent for recruitment introduced by nCore HR: the real challenge is not adding more technology, but building tools capable of truly operating within HR processes.
An agent designed to support selection, ranking, and decision-making consistency in a landscape where transparency, traceability, and accountability are no longer optional, but structural requirements of modern recruitment.
Frequently asked questions
- Will salary transparency reduce flexibility in hiring?
No, but it requires clearer and more structured processes to be managed effectively.
- Can AI help ensure fairness in recruitment processes?
Yes if designed with explicit criteria and domain-specific logic, it can support more consistent and repeatable decisions
- Are these solutions also suitable for small and mid-sized organizations
Yes, because they help manage complexity and volumes without increasing the operational workload
Conclusion
Salary transparency and artificial intelligence are not two independent forces.
They are two responses to the same need: making HR processes fairer, more sustainable, and more governable.
The future of recruitment will not be defined by algorithms that decide in place of people, nor by rigidly applied rules.
It will be shaped by intelligent tools that help HR teams manage complexity, while keeping skills, people, and accountability at the center.
In this context, vertical AI agents represent one of the first concrete examples of how technology and transparency can work together.
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