Real Living Wage increases to £9.50 an hour

Not be confused with the National Living Wage, which is currently £8.72 an hour for workers over the age of 25, the RLW is voluntarily paid by nearly 7,000 UK businesses, with around 250,000 people set to benefit from the increase.  

According to research by the Living Wage Foundation, around 5.5 million jobs, some 20% of the total UK workforce, are still being paid below the RLW, with the hospitality sector having the highest proportion of jobs paid below it at 70.8%,

“It’s an incredibly challenging time for us all, but today’s new Living Wage rates will give a boost to hundreds of thousands of UK workers, including thousands of key and essential workers like cleaners, care workers, and delivery drivers who have kept our economy going,” says Laura Gardiner, Living Wage Foundation Director,

“Since the start of the pandemic employers have continued to sign up to a real Living Wage. During Living Wage Week it’s right that we celebrate those employers that have done right by workers and families, providing them with much needed security and stability even when times are hard.

“These are the employers that will allow us to recover and rebuild from this crisis.”