Dawn’s inside track: how the minimum wage is shaping up for the year ahead

The Low Pay Commission has put the publication of its low pay report and recommendations on the next increase in National Minimum Wage (NMW) on hold due to the General Election. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t know where the NMW is going. Watch REBA’s content editor Dawn Lewis in her short video about the course of the NMW and the latest research on low pay.

The latest research from KPMG looks at the real cost of living and whether employees are earning above this level. It finds that 19% of employees earn below the Living Wage, but this figure is falling.

On a broader scale, the Living Wage Foundation has investigated how paying the Living Wage relates to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals by reducing poverty around the world. However, in-work poverty is still a massive issue in the UK. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that just over four million people are being held back by in-work poverty. Its latest research aims to influence employers to help end this cycle of in-work poverty.

“At REBA we feel like we need to do our own bit as well [to pay employees the real cost of living] so we’re really pleased to announce that we’ve been accredited as a Living Wage employer,” adds Lewis.