To think minimum wage is dire. What hourly rate would you work for?

I've worked on minimum wage, and would again if I were unexpectedly out of work - but as a single parent in the Home Counties it would barely cover my essential bills - and wouldn't even touch my mortgage.

I think it is shockingly low TBH. Last time I was on NMW I was 18, living at home, working in retail - it seemed like loads 😂 But I feel it's impossible to support a family on it - everyone I've met on minimum wage who has kids is either getting UC top ups or working 2 jobs, neither of which should be necessary IMO. Even 'low skilled' jobs (often some of the toughest in terms of manual labour) are not just covered by students/teens any more - and they should be paid enough to cover a decent standard of living. It doesn't really matter they're low skilled, because they are necessary to society either way.

No, I think it's acceptable for entry level or low skilled work. What I do object to is the dumbing down & devaluation of certain skills/roles to justify only paying minimum wage.

I don't think minimum wage is too bad but the stagnation above it makes it impossible for people to progress and earn more. I work for a government department and our admin earn less than the minimum wage will be in April. Their job is very complex and technical and some of the information they deal with daily is horrific. We are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit when they can be paid the same to do jobs with far less responsibility. Their pay will have to go up in April but that then puts them on an equal footing with practitioners , so where is the incentive then to do that role? I work in the justice sector and people would be shocked by the salaries

I am paid £13.50 per hour for my job . It's quite a reasonable wage for what I do.

The pay of carers makes me sick, it's such a challenging job with so much responsibility.

I earn £12.85 an hour working in care at home. Not minimum but I still find it a major struggle. I defy anyone who thinks it’s low skilled to come and try it. I do it because I find it rewarding and flexible and because I have no longer got the qualifications for a better job but it’s hellish trying to fund a rental car etc in this kind of income. I’m too old to retrain and don’t even know what I could possibly otherwise do. I’d like 18 to 20 an hour, to answer the original question

@ItWasTheBestOfTimes I was speaking with the landlord of our local pub who is already struggling to break even and said the minimum wage increase may force them to close this year as they have a lot of staff and just can't absorb it. They can't increase their prices any further.

Obviously the rise is great for people on minimum wage - my DS included - but there is an impact and that impact might be that people lose their jobs entirely.

It is low but people don't want to pay more for things, you can't have both, higher wages and cheaper goods

I'd be willing to work for minimum wage if i was unemployed and that's all I could get, and carry on looking for better paid work.

It’s low but it’s low for a reason tend to be entry level jobs, my last job was min wage until I had been there 1 year then it increased.

Yes it is and that is why we need UC to top it up.

Get into the real life.

Well, it depends. In my industry I do not (would not) work for less than £50-60 an hour because of the nature of the role (irregular schedule, 3-4 late evenings a week, lots of travel), and also because I have a first class honours degree, extended masters and additional qualification totalling 10 years of study.

However, it’s also an industry where I may be working 25 hours a week on paper, but the amount of personal prep needed takes it to 50-60 hours a week more often than not. So I’m working for a lot less than £50ph.

In 2019 I was working for less than £9 an hour though as that was the minimum wage (I may have been under the age threshold too). Would I work minimum wage again if I needed to? Yes, but obviously not in the pressured, stressful and highly-skilled job I do right now.

When I was a teenager (I'm mid thirties now) I applied for a waitress role at a new local cafe that had just opened. Made it to the interview when they dropped it on me it would be for £3 an hour!!! Needless to say I didn't take the job!

It's shocking. I wouldn't consider working for less than £50 p/h.

Minimum wage has gone up massively in the past few years, I remember during the 2019 election everyone panicking that it was in labours’ manifesto to put the minimum wage up to £10 an hour, how this would be unaffordable for businesses and cause mass redundancies. Rises have definitely contributed to increased inflation recently - business costs go up so they put their prices up and then pay rises are swallowed by increased prices and round and round we go. I think this latest round due in April of minimum wage rises and NI increase is going to affect the job market massively. I know 2 people who I thought had very secure jobs before are going through redundancy at the moment as the companies have said the further increases are unaffordable and they will need to cut staff.

When mine teens have had some part time jobs i’ve been shocked how generous it is. One of my earlier jobs as a teen, my friends and I worked for £1.25 an hour in a ‘corner’ shop. I remember the minimum wage being introduced in my late teens and then my best friend and I couldn’t work a Sunday together anymore as they couldn’t afford to pay that twice, so we took it in turns to work with an under 16.

Is this an actual joke? Poor you! Try my £12.70 and see how well you can live

Agree with this.

It is particularly shocking that young people can be paid an even lower rate for doing the same work! There should not be different tiered minimum wages for different age groups - particularly over 18s

It gives people with little to no experience a better chance of getting a job though.

Are you mad? People with zero experience other than caring skills should be paid as much as folk who've undertaken years of paid employment, done courses around that, and furthered their development?...

Hi, I've looked after my kids until they hit 18, I've got zero employment skills other than being a mum. Can I frog leap those other candidates who decided to work hard the past 18yrs, as I'm a mum and it's more important 🤔

I was job hunting recently. I am 61 so at the end of my career, have a business degree,up to date skills and 40 years experience. £48k or £25/hr gross was the lowest I wanted to accept.

New graduate rate outside London is about £30k or about £15/hr gross

£12 an hour for someone unproven with no experience and no skills, at the start of their career is not bad as long as it is a temporary situation. Important to gain skills and experience, and look for the next step up every two years.

People with years of experience as a carer should not be on NMW. Empathy, patience and kindness are hugely undervalued.

Minimum wage did not exist and many people were paid less than current NMW in real terms.

I work in a senior position for 26,750. This is a senior role, in a job where I have a degree, and nearly 15yrs experience. It's just as well I love my job, and I really do! The pay rates are insane, and I'll be leaving my sector this year. I can do a side shift for way better pay and pension. The only thing I've stayed for is my heart has been in it.

Yep but they should be helped with grants or tax breaks. The way it’s currently set up billionaires are benefiting from underpaying workers!

You are right... but some companies are small and don't have CEOs raking in £££ either.