Reported by BBC Business
Burnham was speaking during a visit to a Siemens site in Wiltshire to promote new work experience opportunities
Businesses should publish salaries in job adverts now, Prime Minister Andy Burnham is telling firms, rather than wait for a new law to come in that will force them to do so.
The government is planning to make pay details compulsory in adverts, with legislation on the issue being brought forward "as soon as possible".
More from the original report
It argues the change will help jobseekers, particularly those applying for their first job, and could help prevent pay discrimination. However, one industry group said setting pay was a complex process and regulating adverts was not always suitable.
It comes a week after the UK's equality watchdog said employees should legally be able to find out what their colleagues are earning .
Burnham said the current system felt "weighted against the applicant" and the changes were aimed at "tilting the scales back".
"It can be quite soul destroying for young people these days, applying for jobs when the salary is not listed but sometimes they're not getting a reply," he told the BBC.
The prime minister added that publishing salaries in adverts was also important for closing the gender pay gap.
He was also challenged over whether MPs should be disclosing salaries when advertising for staff in their offices.
A number of politicians are currently advertising for roles without giving an expected salary. , external
Burnham said: "It would apply completely to them too and the call I'm making today is, before the law changes do it voluntarily because it's the right thing to do."
The Cabinet Office launched a consultation into pay and reducing discrimination in the summer, and the government said there had been "overwhelming support" for greater transparency, with 94% of respondents backing the move.
"Whether you're a young person starting out or a parent trying to support your family, you should know what a job pays before spending your time and effort applying for it," Burnham said.
The government said the move was part of attempts to reduce the nearly one million young…