> my current employer should certainly not disclose that information to them
The laws on this vary by state[1] and are sometimes broad (e.g. Connecticut allows truthful statement of any facts) but looks like about 20% explicitly allow disclosure of pay.
I don't think laws are relevant to this conversation because the conversation will never take place to begin with. Image you get this phone call as a boss: "Hi, we are about to steal one of your employees from you guys, i just want to check if the salary he presented to us is the same as you actually pay him".
Because 1. As a job searcher you always use your previous previous job as reference and 2. No potential recruiter would be stupid enough to call up the current employer. I wouldn't be surprised if this actually happen though.
> As a job searcher you always use your previous previous job as reference
Not every job search is done without the knowledge of the current employer. Just a few examples of when that may not be true:
* moving across the country because of a spouse's relocation
* contract employee approaching the end of the contract period
* full-timer looking to switch to part-time
* switching careers
* volunteering for an "early retirement" deal at a company that's downsizing
* difficult to replace role (e.g. it's not uncommon for CEOs of large companies to announce their intention to leave a year or more out)
I do agree that recruiters (or anyone) should never contact your current employer without your permission but it's incorrect to assume all job searches are carried out surreptitiously.
The laws on this vary by state[1] and are sometimes broad (e.g. Connecticut allows truthful statement of any facts) but looks like about 20% explicitly allow disclosure of pay.
[1] http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/free-books/employee-r...