The NLW will increase from £8.91 to £9.50 per hour. The Government has said this represents an annual salary increase of £1,000 per year for a full time worker. Critics however have suggested the rise will not go far enough in light of high rates of inflation and the soaring cost of living.
The NMW is also due to increase from 1 April 2022 as follows:
The Government prescribed NLW should not be confused with the voluntary Living Wage, which is set by the Living Wage Foundation and which 9,000 employers elect to pay their staff. The Living Wage is currently £9.90 across the UK and £11.05 in London. That rate was set in 15 November 2021 and the Living Wage Foundation asks that Living Wage employers ensure their staff are being paid at those rates by 15 May 2022 at the latest.