Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110

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National Minimum Wage and Living Wage rates rise but still lag behind 'real' requirements

National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates increased on 1st April, as they do each year, but according to the Living Wage Foundation they are still not adequate to meet minimum 'living' requirements.

The Government-set hourly rate for the minimum wage depends on age and whether the employee is a fully-fledged worker or an apprentice. Employees must be at least school leaving age to receive the National Minimum Wage and aged 25 or over to receive the National Living Wage.

The current rates are:

* Apprentice - £3.90
* Under 18 - £4.35
* 18 to 20 - £6.15
* 21 to 24 - £7.70
* 25 and over - £8.21

Apprentices are entitled to the apprentice rate if they're either aged under 19 or
aged 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship. They are entitled to the minimum wage for their age if they both aged 19 or over and have completed the first year of their apprenticeship.

The Living Wage Foundation set its rates in November 2018. They are £9.00 per hour - an increase of 25p per hour, and £10.55 per hour - an increase of 35p per hour - for those in London. The Living Wage rates are the only rates independently calculated based on what people need to live in the UK and London.

The 2018 increases have been largely driven by higher transport costs, private rents and council tax feeding, through to the basket of goods and services that underpin the rates.

Research published by KPMG in November 2018 found that over a fifth of jobs pay less than the real Living Wage, with 1.2 million more jobs paying below the Living Wage since 2012.

Our image shows the National Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage from April 2016.

The following rates were for the National Minimum Wage before the National Living Wage was introduced. The rates were usually updated every October.

Year 21 and over 18 to 20 Under 18 Apprentice
2015 £6.70 £5.30 £3.87 £3.30
2014 £6.50 £5.13 £3.79 32.73
2013 £6.31 £5.03 £3.72 £2.68
2012 £6.19 £4.98 £3.68 £2.65

www.gov.uk / www.livingwage.org.uk

4th April 2019