Employee Benefits poll: Almost six in 10 (57%) organisations agree with the new national minimum wage (NMW) rate that was announced in the Autumn Budget last month (October).
According to Employee Benefits’ latest research, 29% believed that the increase should have been more and 9% think it should have been less of a rise. Meanwhile, 6% are of the opinion that it should not have gone up at all.
The poll follows Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak revealing that the national living wage will go up to £9.50 an hour from 1 April 2022, which is a 6.6% increase on the current rate of £8.91. The NMW for younger workers will also rise from £8.36 an hour to £9.18 an hour for those aged 21 to 22; from £6.56 to £6.83 for those aged 18 to 20; from £4.62 to £4.81 for under 18s; and from £4.30 to £4.81 an hour for apprentices.
Sunak said: “The government is accepting [the Low Pay Commission’s] recommendation. For a full-time worker that’s a pay rise worth over £1,000 [and] it will benefit over two million of the lowest paid workers in the country. This is a major commitment to the high wage, high skill, high productivity economy of the future.”
In addition, The Living Wage Foundation increased its rates yesterday (15 November) to £9.90 an hour across the UK and £11.05 for those in London. This is a rise from the previous rates of £9.50 throughout the UK and £10.85 in the capital.
Katherine Chapman, director of the Living Wage Foundation, explained that this year marks 20 years of the living wage movement and she is celebrating the “huge impact” the campaign has had on tackling in-work poverty.
“Over the last year we’ve seen record numbers of responsible organisations that recognise that a real living wage is not only good for workers and their families, but for business and society too. Because of their commitment, 300,000 workers will see their wages rise,” she added.
