Ever since the National Minimum Wage was introduced in 1999, apprentices have been treated differently. At first, many apprentices were exempt from the minimum wage. In 2010, a separate ‘Apprentice Rate’ was brought in, set lower than other rates (initially …
‘What will the minimum wage be next year?’ This is a common question we hear from workers and employers on our visits around the country. Though the final recommended rate is agreed by Low Pay Commissioners through a negotiated process, …
What is the National Living Wage? Our main job at the Low Pay Commission is to recommend future National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates. Under the NMW, there are different rates for different age groups and a separate rate for apprentices. …
What do workers look for in jobs? Wages are obviously important. If you asked almost anyone whether they would like to be paid more per hour, they would say yes. But new evidence [1] commissioned by the Low Pay Commission …
Every year, we commission researchers to look into the impact that the minimum wage has had on firms and workers, and their findings form a key part of our evidence base. There has been little evidence of any negative impact …
This question is fundamental to the LPC’s work and is at the centre of our research programme each year. In 2019, we commissioned an econometric project from the Institute for Employment Studies (IES)[1] to look at just this. This work …
How have employers in the retail and hospitality sectors responded to the National Living Wage (NLW)? Last year researchers from Sheffield University Management School's Centre for Decent Work (Dragoș Adăscălitei, Gareth Crockett, Jason Heyes, Kirsty Newsome and Edward Yates) conducted …
UPDATE - 17 March 2020 In view of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, and the recent advice to avoid all non-essential travel, we are suspending the Low Pay Commission’s programme of visits for 2020. Getting direct evidence on the state of …
Does the minimum wage have an impact on wage inequality? Do increases in the minimum wage help or hinder people moving into better-paid jobs? These were the questions posed by a major, two-part research project which the LPC published in …
As Low Pay Commissioners, we know that it is not enough to rely on data alone in making our recommendations to government on the National Living Wage (NLW) and National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates. In addition to the economic and …
