Concern for region’s workers on less than living wage

NEARLY A quarter of workers in Yorkshire, including many key workers, are earning less than they need to live on, according to new research.

Hundreds of thousands of jobs in the region pay less than the real living wage of £9 an hour, which is a measure of how much someone needs to earn in order to have a decent standard of living.

This is equivalent to 22 per cent of jobs across Yorkshire, the research by the BBC Shared Data Unit shows.

The figures have improved slightly compared with 2018, when more than a quarter of jobs in Yorkshire were below the real living wage.

Roles more commonly carried out by women, such as nursery nurses, carers and teaching assistants were more likely to be underpaid, the research showed.

The GMB union said the coronavirus crisis had shone a light on the “rock-bottom pay” of the people “expected to risk their health to protect us” and called for key workers’ wages to be raised.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: “It is right we ensure the lowest paid are fairly rewarded for their contribution to the economy, particularly those working in essential services during the biggest threat this country has faced in decades.

“This year’s increase to the National Living Wage means we will be putting an extra £930 a year into the pockets of 2.4 million of the UK’s lowest paid workers.”

The National Living Wage is the legally-binding hourly rate for workers aged 25 and over. The real living wage is separate and was devised by charity the Living Wage Foundation.