North West England-based Evolve Business Group has become a real living wage employer as part of a voluntary commitment to go beyond the government minimum to ensure all staff earn enough to live on.
As a result of this commitment, all employees will now receive a minimum wage of £12.83 per hour. This is higher than the £12.60 current living wage and 5% more than the government minimum for employees aged 21 and above, which stands at £12.21 per hour.
Evolve Business Group decided to introduce the rate to combat the fact that 16.8% of all jobs in the North West pay less than the real living wage, equating to around 510,000 roles.
Set by the Living Wage Foundation, the real living wage rate is calculated based on the cost of living and rises annually based on living costs. There are more than 16,000 accredited employers which have secured over £3.6 billion worth of pay rises for low-paid workers since 2011.
Alan Stephenson-Brown, chief executive officer at Evolve Business Group, said: “We are proud to have been accredited as a living wage employer and even prouder of the dedication of our people. At Evolve, we are committed to providing meaningful career paths in technology and want all our employees to know that their hard work will always be fairly compensated.
“We recognise that the cost of living remains high and it is more challenging than ever to find a rewarding career. From our apprentices to our customer support teams, our employees receiving a pay rise are at the heart of our business. We are incredibly grateful for all their contributions to our success and hope that today’s announcement is a reason to celebrate.”
