Real Living Wage milestone as 10,000 employers are accredited

More than 10,000 employers are now signed up to pay the voluntary Real Living Wage, according to figures calculated by academics at Cardiff University.

The Living Wage Foundation, which sets the voluntary rates, said the research showed that one in 13 people now works for a living wage employer.

Living Wage employers commit to paying all staff, including contracted workers, £11.05 an hour in London and £9.90 outside the capital, compared with the national minimum wage of £9.50.

Dr David Nash, of Cardiff Business School, who is part of a team which has spent nearly a decade researching the impact of the Living Wage, said: “Passing this milestone underlines the significance of the real Living Wage as a feature of the UK labour market. It is particularly impressive that accreditation has continued to grow strongly in the face of the twin economic challenges of Brexit and the pandemic. We look forward to continuing our research as the campaign grows and develops in the future.”

Katherine Chapman, director of the Living Wage Foundation, said: “Reaching 10,000 Living Wage Employers is an historic milestone for the Living Wage movement.

“Since the campaign’s beginnings 20 years ago, Living Wage accreditation has become a benchmark of responsible business in the UK, shaping the debate on low pay and changing the lives of hundreds of thousands of people across the country with a wage that delivers dignity.

“As inflation hits new highs, the Living Wage movement is more vital than ever. We are facing the worst income squeeze on record and no-one will feel it more sharply than the nearly five million people in low-paid and insecure jobs, already struggling on tight budgets.

“It’s crucial that employers who can afford it protect those who will be most affected by price rises by paying a wage based on the cost of living.”

Craig Hassall, chief executive of the Royal Albert Hall, which was recently accredited by the foundation, said: “Whilst we have been paying our own staff the equivalent of the London Living Wage for some time, to be officially endorsed means that now all of our workers and those that work with us through contractors will be properly and fairly compensated for their efforts.

“Many employers say that their staff are their greatest asset, and at the Hall this is especially the case.”