Tuesday 28th November 2023

Our latest research has revealed just how much you’d have to see your pay increase by, if it were to keep pace with the 9.8% increase seen in the living wage announced last week. 

From next April, the living wage is set to rise to £11.44 per hour, a pay increase that will represent a 9.8% bump for those 23 and over, up from £10.42 per hour. 

To put this pay rise into perspective, we've looked at how much the average person would have to see their pay packet increase by in order to keep pace with the increase to the living wage. 

With the average UK person currently taking home an average gross salary of £35,404, a 9.8% increase would equate to a pay rise of £3,470 per year. 

 

Public services

For NHS consultants, it looks as though recent strike action is set to see them receive an additional 4.95%. With the average medical practitioner earning a gross salary of £67,675 in 2023, this equates to a pay rise of £3,350 per year. However, if these earnings were to keep pace with the rise in the living wage, it would push this pay rise to £6,632 more per year. 

The average police officer would need to see a pay rise to the tune of £4,229 per year in order to keep pace with the national living wage increase, with firefighters requiring a pay bump of £3,711, while teachers would need to see a £3,539 jump in their annual earnings. 

 

Trades

As for the trades, the average annual earnings of an electrician would have to climb by £3,496 per year to see the same 9.8% increase applied to minimum wage from April next year, with plumbers (+£3,310) also needing a raise of over £3,000. 

Brick layers (+£2,927), plasterers (+£2,925) and carpenters (+£2,916) would need to see an increase of over £2,900 per year, with painters and decorators also needing a similar increase of £2,739. 

 

Hospitality

Even those in the hospitality industry earning the lowest annual gross salaries would need to see an increase of almost £1,000 per year in order to keep pace with the living wage pay rise. Waiters and waitresses would need to see their annual pay increase by £873 per year, while bar staff would need to see an increase of £900 per year.