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Pay rise for three million workers in April
Guest Author:
Paloma KubiakThe National Living Wage (NLW) will increase from £8.21 to £8.72 an hour from April, the government has announced.
Low-paid workers aged 25 and over will receive a 6.2% pay rise from 1 April, adding an extra £930 to pay packets for full-time workers.
The government said this is the biggest cash increase ever, improving the pay for 2.8 million people.
It added that it’s on track for the NLW to reach 60% of median earnings by 2020.
For younger workers under the age of 25, they will also see the National Minimum Wage increase. This figure varies between 4.6% and 6.5% dependant on age:
- 21-24-year olds will see rates rise from £7.70 to £8.20 an hour
- 18-20-year olds will see rates rise from £6.15 to £6.45 an hour
- 16-17-year-olds will see rates rise from £4.35 to £4.55 an hour
- Apprentices will see rates rise from £3.90 to £4.15 an hour.
The increased rates were recommended by the Low Pay Commission, an independent body that advises the government about the National Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage.
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson, said: “Hard work should always pay, but for too long, people haven’t seen the pay rises they deserve.
“Our government will put a stop to that, giving nearly three million people from Edinburgh to Eastbourne a well-earned pay rise, including the biggest ever cash boost to the National Living Wage.
“But that’s not all. As we enter a new decade, we’re setting our sights higher, to help people earn more over the next five years and level up access to opportunity across our great country.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sajid Javid, said: “We want to end low pay and put more money in the pockets of hard-working families. This latest rise will mean that since we introduced the National Living Wage in 2016, the lowest paid will have had a wage increase of more than £3,600.
“But we want to do more to level up and tackle the cost of living, which is why the NLW will increase further to £10.50 by 2024 on current forecasts.”