NMW to increase again next year to £12.21 ph.

[ZoeZee]

If you’ve not had a pay rise this year, despite bringing it up to your employer, and now there’s set to be another 6% NMW increase next year (which is fantastic, don’t get me wrong) the pay gap is narrowing ever more between skilled/unskilled employees.

Skilled and those with MANY years of experience, might as ditch their responsible/stressful jobs (which often keep you awake at night) and look for something that doesn’t have the added responsibility?

Almost 20 years experience means nothing to some employers! AIBU?

Any employers who have a view on this increase, please let me know how this might affect you and your staff.

Because it's not actually that simple.

Without child care, women (and it is the women) are lost from the workforce and don't have more babies.

We ALREADY have an issue with a falling birth rate and the affordability and availability of child care provision. We ALREADY have an issue with a workforce issue - it's shrinking and we have a higher number of economically inactive people under retirement age which is causing problems, particularly in skilled areas.

None of this will improve the rates of poverty in families and children.

Waaah poor me, I have to show my bank statements and send an email if I want to go to France for a holiday and still get my wages topped up by the government. Tiny violins come to mind.

Then people really need to stop trying to catch me out don’t they?

I went to uni, have a degree and student debt
Still on min wage. Circumstances and ill health plus a bad choice of degree
I'm not unqualified or don't have a levels and a degree just because I'm on a lower wage

Clearly not how the benefits system works. Maybe you should actually read up on it as you never know where life can take you. You might need it one day yourself!

Green is a lovely shade of colour.

That’s another thing that’s not right with UC.

You only get housing element if you are renting.

Hardly.

Nope. I just don’t see what you think gives you the right to ask for details of my income, so that you can judge it and decide if it’s what you feel is right.

Like I said. I work FT and pay tax, there is nothing hiding with me

Or stop offering up so much personal information, you don't need to do that.

Which puts rental prices up further because people need subsidising to afford the astronomical rental prices.

Yes agreed. Anyone can fall on hard times.

What personal info have I offered? I said I work, I get UC and I went on holiday. It’s not me asking for anyone’s financial details.

You get to keep more of your wage if you have a mortgage but yes I think it is wrong.

The actual problem that the early years sector is undervalued, underfunded, underpaid and dangerously understaffed because practitioners are leaving the profession in droves?

Yes, and costs for everyone spiral, be it benefits or anyone who rents.

Reads that way.

😅😅

Rental costs don't go up because of minimum wage increases

They go up because it's a wild unregulated market

Decades ago rents were reasonable as anyone who needed it could get a bit for profit rental home

Everything is connected - we need people to earn enough to live and if you are saying that sone people MUST live in poverty for the country to operate, go and think again please- that's not a country I'd have any pride in

Early years education needs to come under state education and I think labour are planning that with opening nurseries in schools. It seems odd childcare is universal from 5 but means tested below that. Increasing nmw was a clever way to raise a lot of tax.

I don't disagree with much of what you say. The early years sector has been running on empty for years. It has huge problems with retainment and recruitment and there is increased pressure on remaining staff already in a demanding and stressful role.It is a massively undervalued sector in this country and unless this changes we will end up with institutions where child care is simply crowd control.

Absolutely.

There is also the zero hours contract culture here.

Businesses can afford to keep people on call for a few hours a week because of the benefits top up.

No but minimum wage goes up because rental costs go up. I have been told in the past by multiple letting agents that rents are so high because landlords can't decline benefit applicants but they can price them out of the property, so they do. They set the rent far in excess of the UC top up so claimants can't apply for their property. That is what needs regulating

On the other hand, low wages keep inflation down. No one wants high inflation rates.

The problem is everything goes up. So once this kicks in you can expect a further increase in commodities and utilities, so then minimum wage, still retains the same 'value' while other higher wages decrease in real terms.
Smaller businesses will go out of business which will cost the tax payer money and be stressful for all involved, and larger companies will ship employment off to cheaper countries. Furthermore a reduction in smaller businesses means the bigger corporations can dominate and lack of competitors, means increased prices.
The problem with having lawyers running a country is their lack of economic and business understanding. A service industry, which is what we are rapidly becoming, doesn't tend to bode well for economic growth.