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

Last line has a typo which it won’t let me edit! Should just say “Companies making billions in profits should not be paying poverty wages!”

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! Supermarkets and landlords don’t give them a youth discount, they should be paid the same as everyone else for their work!

The minimum wage is set low as a way of politicians helping out their business mates in a way. The majority of people who rely on minimum wage end up having to claim universal credits so the tax payer is supplementing their wages while the companies that underpay them get to keep their profits. There was an article a year or two ago that looked at wages by the supermarket chains and the numbers of their employees claiming Universal Credits. It would be better to pay a living wage and offer small grants or lower taxes to small companies that would struggle. There was an companies making billions in profits should not be paying poverty wages!

Most people can't afford to live on less than the minimum wage whether they're skilled or otherwise. That's the whole point of it, to make sure (in theory) that people can provide adequately for themselves.

I've always worked very low wage jobs. The last one I had was £9.50 an hour, and I was senior to most others in my department?! This was about 7 years ago.

I'm pleased that the MW has gone up in principle, but I fear it will mean some employers simply taking on fewer staff.

I remember one job where I had to do a ten hour shift, with one 20 mins break, for £3.50 ph. That felt like a bit of a piss take but it was in the film industry so loads of rich kids who didn't need the money I guess. They take advantage in anything that looks 'glamorous'.

But small businesses are still affected by the NMW.

I don’t know, what do you suggest?

I didn’t say anything about small businesses in my post, read my first sentence again.

There are small business owners that have staff on NMW, and they can't afford to pay much more because of how much they are paid by the companies they are contracted out to.
What would you suggest they do?

I think it’s absolutely outrageous how little large corporations in the UK get away with paying people, while making record profits unchecked. The fact that minimum wage is not enough to have a decent quality of life today, without topping up with benefits should not be acceptable. Yet we direct our anger and envy at the wrong people. You see it here all the time, anyone who declares they earn a half decent wage is torn apart, derided or labelled a fantasist. The right wing press whip up faux outrage about train drivers wages and gold plated public pensions, people lap it and turn on each other instead of demanding better wages and decent pensions for everyone . Properly boils my piss.

When I left uni in 2002, my first job paid £26K in central London. I was able to rent a nice flat in zone 2 for £680pm and live quite well. Today, my niece has just started the exact the same role with the same firm and it pays £32k, yet her share of rent in her house share (with three others) is £1450pm, soon to increase to £1600pm so she is looking for somewhere else. Oh and her professional qualifications are no longer fully funded by the firm like mine were. I’m sure someone will come along in a minute and tell me she’s lucky to get £32k, except that job should actually be paying £46K inflation adjusted. Enshittification reigns.

We carry on this path, we’re going to see more and more people turning to extreme politics. It’s already happening and should worry us all.

12.31 p/hr??? Nope not sustainable if you can only work part time for various reasons.

Also, why do people assume that most people on NMW are low-level or un-skilled, etc? Myself and my colleagues are in good jobs and very skilled but our County Council have deemed we are worthy of that and nothing more.

Yes, it is scary what they mean by that.
NMW jobs should be enough for rent, bills, some life etc.
Maybe PP means that those low skilled jobs should be just for teens etc....
Which is shite, because plenty of adults will never be able to get more than NMW jobs.

I think the gap between minimum wage (which has rightly kept going up) and medium wage has massive shrunk.

I used to be paid double minimum wage, now I’m paid 20% more, which given I have 10 years more experience is shockingly poor.

I only stay because it’s good for flexibility and I care about the work, but 2% pay rises have been appalling.

You’d lower minimum wage for people starting low skill jobs? Why? How long do you think it’ll take someone to master a low skill job exactly? Please, enlighten me …. I’ll wait.

A lot of minimum wage jobs are bloody hard work and exhausting too. I hate the narrative you see often on here that rich people are more deserving because they ‘work hard’

i agree that min wage full-time should be enough for someone to live, afford bills and have some left over for enjoyment

I totally agree that some areas the house prices are beyond ridiculous. But if you were to look at 2000/1990 then for the majority of areas, a single person living in a flat or house of their own that wasn't social housing was fairly rare.

I was on NMW in 2010, and lived alone in a city centre flat in Bristol (spacious, with a garden). It was affordable then, and I had money left over.
Nowadays, the rent I paid would not even get me a shelf in a fridge in a shared house.

Being able to rent a one bed place if you are single should be the norm. Flat/house sharing, and HMOs should not be considered the norm unless you are a student or working away from home. I know people in their 60s and 70s in HMOs, and that is depressing to me.

The only time I've accepted a minimum wage job was when I was able to wfh - years before it became commonplace. I certainly wouldn't commute anywhere for minimum wage.

Is this what you earn?

I earn NMW in a job that carries responsibilities and affects the profitability of the business - I feel horribly undervalued as well as underpaid. I could return to hospitality with no responsibilities and earn the same if not more, it's demoralising tbh

You are correct it is multi faceted. It is relatively recent a single person would expect to run a house or flat on their own. Most would be in flat share, rented rooms etc.

We perhaps need to accept that those of us who are single and on minimum wage may need to adjust our expectations.

£16 an hour or just over which is equiv to £32k before tax.

If the house prices weren’t scandalous then the NMW wouldn’t be as bad. Everyone should be able to afford to pay their rent or mortgage, food and heating and still have some spare.

Minimum wage used to be enough to house yourself, pay bills, and have enough for fun after.
The cost of living crisis has fucked that up.

The housing crisis is multifaceted and has many different reasons but wages are an important thing to consider for both renting and buying.

Minimum wage should allow someone to be able to pay their bills and live in a 1 bed flat not everyone can do high skilled jobs realistically some people will always work a full time job earning min wage and they deserve to live a decent life.

Minimum wage is shite. Especially considering some of the jobs it covers. Caring for the most vulnerable in society for example.

I'm very very lucky that for someone with only decent gcse's and a couple of level 3 NVQ's, I've ended up in a job that's above average UK salary and with a final salary pension, cos I would have been absolutely fucked otherwise.

Yeah that’s not minimum wage is it