Real Living Wage increases as cost of living rises

16 Nov 2021

Over 300,000 people working for almost 9,000 Real Living Wage employers throughout the UK are set for a pay boost as the Living Wage rates.

From 15 November the Real Living Wage increased to £9.90 across the UK and £11.05 in London. This is higher than the compulsory National Living Wage (NLW), which is currently £8.91 an hour for anyone over the age of 23.

The wage rates are calculated by the Living Wage Foundation based on what people need to live on. The rates are paid by employers who have voluntarily signed up to the Real Living Wage.

Almost 9,000 employers throughout the country have signed up to pay the wage – 3,000 of them during the pandemic.

Katherine Chapman, Living Wage Foundation Director, said: 'With living costs rising so rapidly . . . the new Living Wage rates will provide hundreds of thousands of workers and their families with greater security and stability.

'There are still millions trapped in working poverty, struggling to keep their heads above water – and these are people working in jobs that kept society going during the pandemic, like social care workers and cleaners. We know that the Living Wage is good for businesses as well as workers, and as we rebuild our economy post pandemic, the Real Living Wage must be at its heart.'