More shoppers are supporting living wages
Public sentiment toward the living wage campaign – the campaign to get employers to pay workers a calculated wage higher than the minimum wage – is on the climb.
A survey published today by financial services firm KPMG found that seven out of 10 UK adults would consciously shop in favour of a retail chain that paid workers at least the living wage. The figure is 10 per cent higher than a year ago.
The UK living wage is calculated by the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University and stands at £7.85 per hour. A higher wage for London is calculated by the Greater London Authority and is currently £9.15 per hour. They are then set by the Living Wage Foundation. It compares with the current legal minimum wage for workers over 21 of £6.50 per hour.
The survey also found that 80 per cent of adults had heard of the living wage, as had 60 per cent of those aged 16-17.
“With all the main political parties’ citing action on Living Wage in their manifestos, we have moved a long way since the 2010 election and the pace of change is accelerating,” said Mike Kelly, head of living wage at KPMG UK.