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Tell HN: Salary data is for sale

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Re: Tell HN: Salary data is for sale

#41

Post by tomrod »

BeefySwain wrote: post #5

I checked earlier today and yep, my employer is selling my data and future earnings potential to the company that is infamous for poor data security. A confounding factor is that as a hiring manager, and at least for all the hiring decisions I have been involved in, I know we did not use this to check candidates. So what's the upside? EDIT: ADP Workforcenow appears to do this automatically. I'm curious to find out if…

I worked in a two person company last year where I ran payroll with ADP.

It's there for me too, and I don't recall opt in permission on this.

Re: Tell HN: Salary data is for sale

#42

Post by errantmind »

Victerius wrote: post #4

If this is correct, then it would be risky for someone to lie to a new employer about their former salary in order to receive an offer for a higher pay, because the new employer could use this service to cross check the employee's claims.

Why are you telling prospective employers your former salary? Just because someone asks, you don't have to answer.

You aren't some desperate person begging for work, you are helping them achieve their goals in exchange for payment. It is a trade.

Re: Tell HN: Salary data is for sale

#43

Post by tomrod »

throwawaygh wrote: post #28
pianoben wrote: post #9

"To log in, enter your SSN, date of birth, home address, and" No way, no how.

They already have that info. In fact, they already hired a music major CISO who leaked all that data in a stunning display of executive incompetence.

When?

Re: Tell HN: Salary data is for sale

#44

Post by dataflow »

nsxwolf wrote: post #40
dataflow wrote: post #23

How does this work in California given that employers cannot ask for a candidate's salary even through an agent? Does this not qualify? Effective January 1, 2018, Labor Code section 432.3 prohibits an employer from, either orally or in writing, personally or through an agent, asking any information concerning an applicant’s salary history information, which includes compensation as well as benefits. [1] [1] https://w…

Would equifax be the agent in this case?

That's one possibility I'm wondering about, I don't know.

Re: Tell HN: Salary data is for sale

#45

Post by crate_barre »

vadym909 wrote: post #6

what is the work number? is this deliberately a confusingly made up name of company and what they do?

It’s one of the most widely used background checking services. At least three of the companies I worked for will simply tell anyone doing the background check their worknumber ID so the background check service can just check on the site. I like the system because it’s a simple way to get your dates of employment reliably without anyone having to literally call up a HR person at a previous company.

But, what the fuck are they doing making this data available beyond that? This has to be illegal.

Re: Tell HN: Salary data is for sale

#46

Post by throwawayboise »

throwawaygh wrote: post #28
pianoben wrote: post #9

"To log in, enter your SSN, date of birth, home address, and" No way, no how.

They already have that info. In fact, they already hired a music major CISO who leaked all that data in a stunning display of executive incompetence.

None of that information should be considered private any longer, if it ever really was.

Re: Tell HN: Salary data is for sale

#49

Post by dang »

dreyfan wrote: post #11
Victerius wrote: post #4

If this is correct, then it would be risky for someone to lie to a new employer about their former salary in order to receive an offer for a higher pay, because the new employer could use this service to cross check the employee's claims.

Quoted post unavailable.

Please don't post this sort of shallow attack. If you have a substantive criticism to make, that's of course fine, but please make it respectfully.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Re: Tell HN: Salary data is for sale

#50

Post by fisherjeff »

jf wrote: post #3
WatchDog wrote: post #2

Who is selling the salary data to equifax?

My understanding is that employers provide this data in exchange for getting access to the database

I’m not sure that’s quite correct. My company doesn’t directly provide this information at all, for example: We use ADP to run payroll, and they’re the ones who have provided my data.

This is (I think) more intended as a replacement for the current process a, say, mortgage underwriter uses to verify employment: (1) send email to a company-wide email account (info@company.com, in our case…) saying “please verify person X is employed as a Y making $Z as soon as possible” (2) hope email is received, (3) hope email is from the borrowers actual employer.

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