You can state the number you are currently seeking. It really does not matter what you made before but rather what you are willing to accept now.

Nothing dishonest in the compensation question, it's a long-held standard practice in the US. But asking correctly requires a certain sensitivity, transparency, and professional finesse.

Part of the hiring criteria is finding qualified candidates within a given budget range. It's not about trying to get someone on the cheap. Often employers will pay significantly more to recruit a top candidate.

Basically, they want to know if they can afford you. It's also a quick way for an employer to gauge the current broader talent market. Is their comp plan competitive/attractive? Should they go up market or down market to find the right people?

It's entirely fair to ask the recruiter to share the anticipated compensation band/benefits/perks,etc...

I've spoken to a few recruiters in the past and it seems like requesting current salary is a trend I'm seeing more frequently. I find it frustrating, and a little unethical (to me). I was wondering how common it was, and/or what companies are known to do it?

I'm finding questions on current salary, age, marital status, kids and details on your commute all pretty common now in the UK.

EDIT: What's worse is if you even imply it's not a relevant question, they get offended and then all friendly and pretending they're just making conversation and not making a hiring decision based on your answer...

Turn the game of nosy recruiters/employers to your favor - give them what they want i.e. tell them how much you want. How much you're actually making is not their business.

The best case is that they are doing it to get an idea of whether they should be pursuing you or not (if prior). You should politely decline.

Precisely. Recruiters ask to ensure that there is at least a "ballpark" match up before proceeding -- it would be a waste of your and the hiring team's time to interview you if your salary requirements are outside of their budget.

I can understand how some may be hesitant to offer this info up since it is considered sensitive in many cultures, but I have no problem doing so. I understand that there is no malicious or malevolent intent in their request for this info (at least, there rarely is...).

My understanding of the "never tell them your current salary" advice is that it's less cultural and more "they can use it against you to pay you less than you're worth". It's a negotiation, and "never give the first number" isn't for culture/privacy.

In some cases I can understand its a way of verifying employment, however as far as salary negotiations, i'm told it's basically poker, and if you show first, they are in charge.

not if your current number is way above market. it's also not at all like poker in that lying is not an advisable way to try to win. (never lie about salary, or anything else, to a prospective employer.)

One of the cases I've seen they actually wanted a copy of the pay stub. Which I found a bit frustrating.

You should tell them your total comp including benefits. Don't overlook the value of benefits.

At my last job for every hour I worked over my standard 40 hours I got an extra hour of annual leave. Standard hours in my field tends to be at least 45/wk so when I switched jobs I quoted a figure that included the value of this extra leave.