London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jul 04, 2025

Minimum wage rises for two million workers

Minimum wage rises for two million workers

Around two million of the UK's lowest-paid workers will get a pay rise from Thursday as the minimum wage goes up.

The National Living Wage will rise 2.2% to £8.91, the equivalent of over £345 a year for a full-time employee.

It will also be given to 23 and 24-year-olds for the first time, not just those aged 25 and over.

Statutory rates for apprentices and those aged 18-22 will also rise, along with the voluntary "Real Living Wage".

However, hundreds of thousands of low paid workers on furlough will see no uplift at all after they were excluded.

Ministers said the increases to minimum wages would particularly benefit workers in sectors such as retail, hospitality and cleaning and maintenance.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it would be "a welcome boost to families right across the UK".

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng urged "all workers" to check their pay packets to ensure they were "getting what they are entitled to, and remind employers of their duty to pay the correct wage".

Minimum wage increases from 1 April:


*  From £8.72 to £8.91 an hour for workers over the age of 23

*  From £8.20 to £8.36 for those aged 21-22

*  From £6.45 to £6.56 for 18 to 20-year-olds

*  From £4.55 to £4.62 for under-18s

*  From £4.15 to £4.30 for apprentices

The voluntary Real Living Wage will rise to £10.85 an hour in London and £9.50 outside the capital, but only a small minority of employers have signed up to pay it.

The foundation promoting it warned there was still a "substantial gap" between the statutory rates and one based on the actual cost of living.

Furloughed miss out


Much of the UK's retail and hospitality industries remain closed due to Covid, meaning many of the lowest paid workers are on furlough and will miss out on a pay rise.

They will continue to get 80% of their usual income, based on pre-pandemic rates for the minimum wage.

Around 800,000 of the lowest paid workers were on furlough in February, according to the House of Commons Library.

The government said furloughed workers who returned to work after 1 April would move onto the new minimum wage rates for hours worked.


Frances O'Grady, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, said nobody should be expected to get by on less than the minimum wage.

"Low-paid workers on furlough have bills to pay like everyone else," she said.

"The government should guarantee that everybody will get at least the full rate of the minimum wage. And it should give all minimum wage workers a decent pay rise."

'Wiped out'


Mike Hawking of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation described the boost to the minimum wage as "necessary" but said that the pandemic had revealed the urgency of taking further steps to tackle in-work poverty.

"As we start to recover from the impact of the last year, too many workers are finding that minimum wage increases are being wiped out due to inadequate social security, insufficient hours available to them, and high housing costs."

Bryan Sanderson, chairman of the Low Pay Commission, which recommends the level at which the minimum wage should be set, said: "This week's increase is our first step towards the government's target of two-thirds of median earnings.

"It is a real-terms increase, meaning that an hour's work can buy more than it could last year at the start of the pandemic. The level of the new rate however also reflects the need to protect workers from job losses."

The commission said its best estimate for the National Living Wage rate in 2022 is £9.42, but this is subject to more uncertainty than usual and is likely to change.


This rise in the legal minimum wage will be welcome news, particularly as most households across the UK are also seeing their bills going up from the start of April. Planned price rises kick in for gas and electricity, council tax, water charges, the license fee, TV and broadband rates, and NHS prescription charges in England. It'll be a stretch for many.

For those minimum wage staff who are on furlough at the moment the news is even harder. Pay for those who would normally be working in bars, restaurants, hairdressers, hotels will continue to be based on 80% of their pre-Covid earnings.

They wont get the new pay rise until they start back to work again, but given the timetable on easing restrictions, many may be heading back to full employment soon.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
×