Why PayScale Bought Datapeople: Facing the $300,000 Job Post Fine Problem

Heather Barbour Fenty
Latest posts by Heather Barbour Fenty (see all)

I’ll admit: when I first saw the PayScale + Datapeople acquisition, I thought, “wow, another acquisition.” Digging into the “why” reveals a critical reality: that writing job postings wrong can put you on the hook for massive fines.

What States Are Demanding Salary Transparency (or Paying for It)

More and more states (California, New York, Colorado, and some cities/municipalities) require that you include a salary range in job ads.

If you don’t, you’re not just risking a slap on the wrist—you’re risking legal penalties. Some jurisdictions allow fines up to $300,000 (or more, depending on the volume and severity) if violations are systemic.

That’s not theoretical. As regulations ramp, so do audits, class action suits, and enforcement. The cost of noncompliance is very real.

How Datapeople Slams the Door on That Risk

datapeople and payscale

Datapeople offers AI tools that help write job postings with built‑in legal guardrails ensuring your content meets the transparency rules before you hit publish. In short, you won’t accidentally omit or misstate the salary range. That’s the main play here.

What PayScale gains is integration. Instead of patching on compliance after the fact, they can embed it into the pay benchmarking, job profiling, and compensation workflows they already own. That means compliance isn’t a bolt-on, it’s baked in.

The Bigger Picture: Closing the Loop in Talent + Comp

Let me map out what this merger really means:

  • PayScale’s benchmarking & comp data →
  • Job profiling & structure →
  • Job posting & pay transparency checks (via Datapeople AI) →
  • Offer execution & actual pay →
  • Back into benchmarking and equity analysis

In effect, PayScale is now involved from the first line of your recruiting funnel through to the final paycheck. That’s powerful—because the weak link used to be the job ad, where compliance often gets ignored.

What This Means for Talent Acquisition Teams

This deal is a flashing warning: if your job‑posting process can’t enforce pay transparency rules today, you’re vulnerable. Particularly in states where fines are steep, your brand, budget, and leadership could end up in the crosshairs.

Think about typical workflows: teams copy a role, paste it into the ATS, tweak it, and publish. Along the way, salary ranges might get deleted, mistyped, or forgotten altogether. That’s what triggers violations.

Now imagine that same flow, but with automatic checks, flags, and corrections built in. That’s what PayScale + Datapeople aims to offer. You stop relying on human memory or editorial reviews for compliance. The system does it for you.

How Ongig Helps You Survive (and Thrive) in the New World

I’m not here to pitch hard, but if what PayScale’s doing scares you—even a little—there are concrete steps you can take now.

Here’s where Ongig can help:

  • Flagging and correction in real time — Ongig scans your job postings for missing or noncompliant salary information and suggests edits.
  • Templates with compliance baked in — Our job posting and job description templates come preloaded with structure and rules, so you’re less likely to leave out salary details or violate formatting rules.
  • A/B testing of salary disclosures — You can test different ranges or formats to see what yields better candidate quality or engagement (without exposing you to blind compliance error).
  • Ongoing compliance monitoring — As laws shift, we update checks so your existing job ads stay legal.

We’ve also published several posts you may want to reference or share with your team:

Using those, plus a proactive process, you can reduce your compliance risk and your legal vulnerability.

Next Moves (So You Don’t Wake Up to a $300K Fine)

  1. Audit your live job ads for missing or obviously misstated salary information.
  2. Switch from freeform postings to templated, rule‑driven ones. Consistency = fewer errors.
  3. Layer in real-time scanning/triggers to block noncompliant posts from going live.
  4. Start small experiments (A/B tests) of salary formats and disclosure styles.
  5. Watch new state laws (some may be coming your way). Build an internal compliance playbook.

Why I Wrote This

I wrote this because too many recruiting teams assume job posting is trivial—and then get blindsided by compliance risk. The PayScale + Datapeople acquisition highlights that the most exposed moment is the job ad. We built Ongig to help you avoid those critical errors, flag issues before they go live, and bake compliance into your everyday workflow. If you’d like us to walk through how your job descriptions and posting process stack up—and how to close those gaps—request a demo.

FAQs

How big are the fines for noncompliance?

In certain jurisdictions, fines can reach $300,000 or more (especially for repeated or systemic violations).

Does every state require salary ranges in job posts yet?

No—only some (e.g. CA, CO, NYC, WA) currently have statutes. But many others are moving in that direction.

Will including a salary range scare off candidates outside it?

Possibly—but that’s often a good thing. You filter out mismatches early, saving time for both sides. You can also experiment with ranges (via A/B tests) to find what works best.

How do templates help with compliance?

Templates give you a consistent structure and ensure you don’t forget required fields (like salary ranges). They reduce human error and make scaling safer.

Can software really block me from publishing a noncompliant post?

Yes—if it’s built to scan and flag noncompliance before the job goes live. That’s one of the features we focus on at Ongig, and what PayScale is buying in with Datapeople.

by in HR Content