Record wage boost for nearly 3 million workers next year
Biggest ever increase to the National Living Wage, worth over £1,800 a year for a full-time worker, fulfils manifesto pledge to end low pay.

- Biggest ever increase to the National Living Wage, worth over £1,800 a year for a full-time worker, fulfils manifesto pledge to end low pay.
- Since 2010 the National Living Wage will have doubled in cash terms from around £10,500 to nearly £21,000 a year for a full-time worker.
- From April 2024, all eligible 21-year-olds on the National Living Wage will earn two-thirds of average earnings.
»Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp Chancellor will deliver a pay rise of more than £1,800 a year for a full-time worker, as he confirms that the National Living Wage will increase by over a pound an hour from April.
»Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp almost 10% pay boost, from £10.42 to £11.44 an hour, is the biggest cash increase in the National Living Wage in more than a decade and fulfils the government’s manifesto pledge to end low pay for those on the National Living Wage. Â
Eligibility for the National Living Wage will also be extended by reducing the age threshold to 21-year-olds for the first time. A 21-year-old will get a 12.4% increase, from £10.18 this year to £11.44 next year, worth almost £2,300 a year for a full-time worker.Â
National Minimum wage rates for younger workers will also increase. 18-20-year-olds will also get a wage boost to £8.60 per hour � a £1.11 hourly pay bump.
»Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp Department for Business and Trade estimate 2.7 million workers will directly benefit from the 2024 National Living Wage increase.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said:Â
Next April all full-time workers on the National Living Wage will get a pay rise of over £1,800 a year. That will end low pay in this country, delivering on our manifesto promise.
»Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp National Living Wage has helped halve the number of people on low pay since 2010, making sure work always pays.
»Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp minimum hourly wage for an apprentice is boosted next year, with an 18-year-old apprentice in an industry like construction seeing their minimum hourly pay increase by over 20%, going from £5.28 to £6.40 an hour. Â
»Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp National Living Wage was introduced in 2016 and currently sets the minimum hourly pay a person over the age of 23 earns when working. »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp new rate will now apply to 21- and 22-year-olds, and means that the government has met its ambitious target of lifting the National Living Wage to two-thirds of median earnings by 2024, ending low hourly pay for those on the National Living Wage. Â
Since 2010, the proportion of workers on low hourly pay has more than halved from 21.3% to 8.9%, supported by increases to the National Living Wage. Personal tax thresholds have been doubled, meaning a working person can now earn £1,000 a month tax-free for the first time. Â
Getting more people into work and ensuring work pays is a priority for the government. »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp Chancellor will set out further measures in tomorrow’s Autumn Statement.
Notes to editors
- »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp OECD defines low pay as those earning less than two-thirds of average earnings.
- »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp National Minimum Wage rate for those aged 22+ was £5.80 from 1 October 2009 to 31st September 2010 . A worker working full-time would have received around £10,500 a year gross, whereas it will be almost £21,500 for a NLW worker from April 2024.