Pay rise for 2.8 million people revealed for 2020

The government has announced that low-paid workers will receive a 6.2 per cent pay rise with a new National Living Wage (NLW) of £8.72 per hour, marking the biggest cash increase ever.

As it stands, nearly three million workers are set to benefit from the increases to the NLW and minimum wage rates for younger workers, according to estimates from the independent Low Pay Commission, meaning that the government is on track to meet its current target for the NLW to reach 60 per cent of median earnings by 2020.

Starting on 1 April 2020, the new rate results in an increase of £930 over the year for a full-time worker on the National Living Wage. Younger workers who receive the National Minimum Wage will also see their pay boosted with increases of between 4.6 per cent and 6.5 per cent, dependant on their age, with 21-24 year olds seeing a 6.5 per cent increase from £7.70 to £8.20 an hour.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “Hard work should always pay, but for too long, people haven’t seen the pay rises they deserve. Our government will put a stop to that, giving nearly three million people from Edinburgh to Eastbourne a well-earned pay rise, including the biggest ever cash boost to the National Living Wage. But that’s not all. As we enter a new decade, we’re setting our sights higher, to help people earn more over the next five years and level up access to opportunity across our great country.”