Minimum Wage Rates and Salary Increment in UK 2024
Minimum Wage Rates and Salary Increment in the UK
The Government has announced National Minimum Wage rates for April 2024, including the National Living Wage.
The Government has announced the rates of the National Living Wage (NLW) and National Minimum Wage (NMW) which will come into force from April 2024. In doing so, it has accepted in full the recommendations of the Low Pay Commission.
The rates which will apply from 1 April 2024 are as follows:
| NMW Rate | Increase in pence | Percentage increase | |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Living Wage (21 and over) | £ 11.44 | £ 1.02 | 9.8% |
| 18-20 Year Old Rate | £ 8.60 | £ 1.11 | 14.8% |
| 16-17 Year Old Rate | £ 6.40 | £ 1.12 | 21.2% |
| Apprentice Rate | £ 6.40 | £ 1.12 | 21.2% |
| Accommodation Offset | £ 9.99 | £ 0.89 | 9.8% |
How much is the minimum wage?
The minimum wage – known officially as the National Living Wage – varies according to the age of the employee, and is updated every April.
From 1 April 2024, the rates will rise to:
- National Living Wage for over-23s: £11.44 an hour from £10.42
- National Living Wage for those aged 21-22: £11.44 an hour from £10.18
- National Minimum Wage for 18 to 20-year-olds: £8.60 an hour from £7.49
- National Minimum Wage for under-18s: £6.40 an hour from £5.28
- The apprentice rate: £6.40 an hour from £5.28
The apprentice rate applies to people aged under 19, or people over 19 in the first year of their apprenticeship.
The minimum wage is the same across all parts of the UK.
About the Teachers Pay Award for 2023/2024
School teachers in England have been given a pay award of 6.5% as the Government accepted all the recommendations set out by the independent body advising on teacher pay. All teaching unions have now accepted this award, with the NEU, NAHT, and ASCL calling off strike action in the autumn.
The pay award is the highest for teachers for 30 years and will boost starting salaries for new teachers to at least £30,000 across the country, meaning an increase of up to 7.1%.
What is the pay award for school teachers?
The School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) recommended a pay award of 6.5% across all pay scales, which has been accepted in full by the Education Secretary.
This comes on top of the record pay rise in 2022/23 of 5.4% on average, meaning that over two years, teacher pay has increased by more than 12% on average.
There are also slightly higher pay increases for starting salaries outside London so that new teachers receive £30,000 or above from September to deliver on the Government’s commitment.
The way school teachers’ salaries work means that each year around 40% of them progress up a scale to the next pay point. This means that these teachers will see even greater increases in their salary this year of at least 10% and up to 17.4%.
How can I work out my new pay?
You can use a teacher pay calculator to work out what this could mean for your salary based on your current pay.
Will the teacher pay award be backdated?
Teachers will start receiving their new salary in the Autumn after a new pay order is laid in Parliament and comes into force.
Pay will be backdated to 1 September 2023.
How was the school teacher pay award decided?
The School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) is an independent group that makes recommendations on the pay of teachers in England and reports to the Secretary of State for Education and the Prime Minister.
Each year the STRB recommends a pay award based on different factors including the economy, school workforce data, and evidence from organizations including the DfE, and the teaching unions (the National Education Union, the National Association of Headteachers, the Association of School and College Leaders and NASWUT).
The Government then considers the recommendations in depth and decides on what pay teachers receive for the coming year.
We know how important it is for schools to be able to plan effectively and will work to align the timing of the STRB process with the school budget cycle in the future, to help with that.
What are we doing to encourage teachers to stay in the profession?
We want to ensure teaching remains an attractive career, which is why we are taking action to encourage teachers to stay in the profession.
To help, we will convene a workload reduction task force to explore how we can go further to support school and trust leaders to minimize workload. We are also setting an ambition to reduce teacher and leader workload by five hours per week.
We also know that flexible working opportunities can help recruit, retain, and motivate teachers and leaders and help promote staff wellbeing. Last month, we appointed seven Flexible Working Ambassador multi-academy trusts and schools to offer practical advice to school leaders on implementing flexible working and we are currently in the process of recruiting more. This is part of a wider programme, funded by the department, to help embed flexible working in schools and trusts.
Source;GOV.UK / https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk
