https://www.marketwatch.com/story/employers-are-using-your-personal-data-to-figure-out-the-lowest-salary-youll-accept-c2b968fb MarketWatch Logo Employers are using your personal data to figure out the lowest salary you'll accept Share Resize --------------------------------------------------------------------- Listen (11 min) Skip to main content Explore Our Brands * WSJ * ----------------------------------------------------------------- * Barron's * ----------------------------------------------------------------- * MarketWatch * ----------------------------------------------------------------- * IBD * ----------------------------------------------------------------- * * ----------------------------------------------------------------- WSJ | Buy Side * Investing * Personal Finance * Retirement * Economy * Watchlist Account Settings * Log In * Sign Up Site Search[ ]Clear SEARCH Advanced Search Search Results Symbols No results found * All News * Articles * Video * Podcasts 0 Results No Results Found Authors No results found Sections No results found Columns No results found 1. Home 2. 3. Personal Finance 4. 5. Careers Employers are using your personal data to figure out the lowest salary you'll accept A growing number of employers are using surveillance wages to negotiate your next paycheck Published: April 1, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. ET Share Resize --------------------------------------------------------------------- Listen (11 min) Illustration of a woman with a facial-recognition grid over her face, with two surveillance cameras and a pay stub in the background. Algorithms are increasingly using personal data to determine the minimum pay a worker is willing to accept, consumer watchdogs say. Photo: MarketWatch photo illustration/iStockphoto You've likely already felt the digital sting of "surveillance pricing." It might look like an airline advertising a specific fare bundle because a customer's loyalty-program data suggests they're likely to buy it, or a website charging more for infant formula because an algorithm sensed the desperation of a new parent. We're living in a world where your purchase history, browsing speed and even your ZIP code increasingly dictate the cost of your life. And as companies get better at collecting and analyzing personal data, they aren't just gunning for the money coming out of your wallet -- they're controlling how much goes into it, too. Partner Center Most Popular About the Author Genna Contino Genna Contino Genna Contino is the Smart Spending reporter on MarketWatch's personal finance desk. She previously covered personal finance for CNBC as well as city hall for The Charlotte Observer in North Carolina. She graduated from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York in 2024. Show Conversation (0) Advertisement Advertisement Back To Top A Dow Jones Company Copyright (c) 2026 MarketWatch, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Notice Cookie Notice Archive * * * * * Marketwatch * Customer Center * Contact Us * Newsletters * Newsroom Roster * Virtual Stock Exchange * MarketWatch Guides * Copyright Policy * Manage Notifications * Cancel My Subscription * Company * Dow Jones * Code of Conduct * Corrections * Reprints & Licensing * Digital Self Service * Your Ad Choices * Corporate Subscriptions * Accessibility * Dow Jones Network * The Wall Street Journal * Barron's * Investor's Business Daily * Financial News London * realtor.com * Mansion Global * Dow Jones Smart Money Intraday Data provided by FACTSET and subject to terms of use. Historical and current end-of-day data provided by FACTSET. All quotes are in local exchange time. Real-time last sale data for U.S. stock quotes reflect trades reported through Nasdaq only. Intraday data delayed at least 15 minutes or per exchange requirements.