People across Yorkshire are losing out in the pay packet stakes.
The number of jobs in Yorkshire and Humber paying less than the national minimum wage has risen by a fifth in a year, figures reveal.
About 24,000 jobs in the region were paid below the national minimum wage in April, 2015, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
That compares with about 20,000 for the same time last year and represents 1.1% of all jobs in Yorkshire and Humber – the highest rate in the UK.
Nationally, there were 209,000 jobs paid below the national minimum wage, representing 0.8% of all employee jobs and down from 222,000 the previous year. The fall was driven by a decline in the number of full-time jobs paid below the national minimum wage.
There were 115,000 jobs held by full-time employees – 0.6% of jobs in this group – with pay below the national minimum wage. For part-time employees, there were 94,000 jobs – 1.2% of jobs in this group.
Figures showed that young people are more likely to be paid less than minimum wage – with one in 38 or 2.6% of those aged 18 to 20 being paid less than the national minimum wage compared to 0.7% of those aged 21 and over.
Employees in part-time work were more likely than those in full-time work to be paid less than the national minimum wage – 1.2% of part-time jobs compared with 0.6% of full-time jobs.
Some 0.9% of jobs held by women pay below the national minimum wage against 0.7% for men.
In April, the national minimum wage stood at £6.50 an hour for employees aged 21 and over, £5.13 for employees aged 18 to 20, £3.79 for employees aged 16 to 17 and £2.73 for apprentices aged 16 to 18 and those aged 19 or over who are in the first year of their apprenticeship. The current rates are £6.70, £5.30, £3.87 and £3.30 for each category of worker.
