The WageIndicator Foundation owns the WageIndicator concept. It is a non-profit organization, dedicated to labor market transparency by providing accurate wage and wage related information. Its mission statement reads:
“Share and compare wage information. Contribute to a transparent labor market. Provide free, accurate wage data through salary checks on national websites. Collect wage data through web surveys.”
Thus, the public at large contributes to scientific information gathering, and scientists in return provide information free of charge to the public.
On 17-9-2003 the Foundation was established under Dutch law. It is a joint initiative of FNV (Dutch confederation of trade unions), the University of Amsterdam/AIAS (Institute of Advanced Labour Studies) and career website Monster. They make up the board of supervisors.
The WageIndicator project is currently active in 11 EU member states. By 2005, Hungary, the United States, India, Brazil, South Africa and South Korea joined. Argentina and Mexico in 2006. China and Russia in 2007. Some countries manage two or more languages; others have websites specially targeting women, young people or self-employed. In most countries, the WageIndicator websites are managed by a coalition of researchers and journalists.
The WageIndicator website began in the Netherlands in 2000.
Detailed information about the questionnaires, salary checkers, marketing tactics and other issues are downloadable from www.wageindicator.org, section Research Lab.