National Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage

The Government has accepted The Low Pay Commission’s (LPC) recommendations on the rates of the National Living Wage (NLW) and the National Minimum Wage, effective from 01 April 2024. The NLW, for which the age threshold will be lowered to 21, will rise from £10.42 to £11.44 per hour.

These recommendations are:

• a £1.02, or 9.8%, increase to the NLW for those aged 21 and over (from £10.42 to £11.44 per hour).
• a £1.11, or 14.8%, increase for those aged 18-20 (from £7.49 to £8.60 per hour).
• a £1.12, or 21.2%, increase for those aged 16-17 and apprentices (from £5.28 to £6.40 per hour).

The NLW currently applies to workers aged 23 and over; this was lowered from 25 to 23 in April 2021 and will be further lowered to 21 from April 2024. In its press release, the LPC notes that the increase in the minimum wage, which will be the largest ever increase in cash terms, is due to the strength of pay growth across the economy, and the prediction that this will continue into 2024.