But the fact remains that they're asking, so how should job seekers respond?
The best thing you can do when an interviewer asks about your salary history is to reframe the question into what salary range you're seeking. After all, this is the more pertinent question! For instance: "I'm looking for a range of $45,000 to $55,000." In some cases, this answer will be accepted and the conversation will move on. But in others, the interviewer will insist on knowing your previous salary. If that happens, you can try responses like: