New National Minimum Wage rates announced

From Thursday 1 October 2015, the adult rate of the National Minimum Wage will rise 20p, from £6.50 to £6.70 per hour, as recommended by the Low Pay Commission.

The LPC’s recommendation for the apprentice rate was rejected by government. The new apprenticeship amount will be set at £3.30, a rise of 57p which is the largest ever increase in the National Minimum Wage for apprentices. The government hopes that delivering a rate higher than recommended by the LPC will see apprenticeships providing wages that are comparable to other choices for work and employment.

There are also plans to launch the National Minimum Wage Accelerator – an online tool to help compare rates of pay across regions, sectors and occupations. The data will be taken from an annual survey of hours and earnings.

The changes implemented on the 1 October 2015 are;

–         Adult rate will increase by 20p to £6.70 per hour

–         18 to 20 year olds will see an increase of 17p to £5.30 per hour

–         16 to 17 year olds will see an increase of 8p to £3.87 per hour

–         Apprentices will see an increase of 57p to £3.30 per hour

–         The accommodation offset increases from the current £5.08 to £5.35.