Living Wage up by 10.1%


The Living Wage Foundation has announced a 10.1% increase in the voluntary Real Living Wage to £10.90 (up by £1), with the London rate rising by 8.1% to £11.95 (up by 90p). One in 10 employees now works for an accredited Living Wage employer, with over 11,000 employers now applying its rates, according to the organisation. The new rates are expected to benefit over 390,000 workers. 


This year’s rates have been brought forward because of the high inflation rate. A full-time worker earning the new rate would earn £2,730 a year more than a worker earning the current government minimum (the “National Living Wage” for over 23 year olds), while in London the gap will be £4,777.50.


Adherence to the Living Wage has not been set back by the pandemic, the foundation says. Over the past two years the number of employers paying it more than doubled, with major new recruits including Aston University and the Excel Centre. Half of the FTSE 100 companies are now signed up.