At one in five, NI has the highest rate of jobs paid below the real Living Wage in the UK. In a few council areas, it is as high as one in four. Women here are also more likely to earn below the real Living Wage at 24.5 percent as opposed to 16.3 percent of men. And part-time workers at 38 percent are almost three times more likely to be paid below the RLW than their full-time counterparts at 13.5 percent.
NI has held the unenviable record of consistently having the highest or almost the highest number of jobs paid below the real Living Wage in the UK.
Since the Living Wage movement began 23 years ago over 15500 employers have signed up to pay the real Living Wage across the UK delivering a pay rise to almost half a million people. Just 1 percent of those are based in NI.
However, the real Living Wage movement took a giant step forward in June 2024 when Advice NI launched Living Wage NI, in partnership with the Living Wage Foundation and supported by the Department for the Economy. Following in the successful footsteps of Living Wage Scotland and Living Wage Wales, Living Wage NI promotes and raises awareness of the real Living Wage and signs local employers up to the scheme.
Join us for this information seminar that will provide more information on the real Living Wage and how to sign up. There will also be the opportunity to hear from a range of local real Living Wage Employers on why the Living Wage is good for employees, business and society.
With research showing that those paid below the real Living Wage struggle to put food on the table and pay household bills, it is time to make low pay a thing of the past and make NI a real Living Wage Region.
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