Real Living Wage increases to tackle rising living costs

As a real Living Wage employer we advocate for all organisations using our Roots to Work job platform to pay a real Living Wage. We are pleased to see the real Living Wage continues to rise.

The real Living Wage has increased to £13.45 an hour across the UK and £14.80 an hour in London, for all workers over the age of 18. This differs to the National Living Wage for those over the age of 21, at a rate of £12.21 an hour - a legally required rate mandated by the Government - as well as the Government's Living Wage which is £12.21 UK-wide, with no London weighting.

Whether to pay the real Living Wage - which truly reflects living costs - is at an employer's discretion. 

The positive news about the real rate's rise is against a backdrop of continued struggle for many in Britain's workforce with low-paid workers struggling to make ends meet. Not paying a Living Wage pushes many people and families into poverty, which can lead to food insecurity - something that Sustain's food poverty campaign aims to address, and research by the Living Wage Foundation shows that 42% of low-paid workers are using foodbanks, rising to 56% for low-paid works with dependent children. 

We acknowledge that increased staff costs can have a financial burden on a business or organisation, however workers should never feel at blame for budgets being squeezed and for being paid fairly. There is growing evidence that paying increased wages leads to lower staff turnover and higher job satisfaction so may reduce the wage bill over a prolonged period, with fewer recruitment costs. This positive news from Norwich Theatre demonstrates just that. 

If you are an employer, you can explore resources published by the Living Wage Foundation to support you to become a real Living Wage employer.

Search for Living Wage employers on our jobs listings at www.rootstowork.org/jobs.