LONDON, March 29 (Xinhua) -- A record number of Britain's lowest paid workers are to get an above inflation pay increase, the Low Pay Commission (LPC) announced Thursday.
Increases in Britain's legally-enforceable minimum wage on April 1 will benefit 2.5 million workers, one-in-10 of the country's workforce, delivering above-inflation pay rises for all age groups, said the LPC.
It will also be the largest minimum wage increases in a decade for young workers.
The National Living Wage, the statutory minimum hourly wage for workers aged 25 and over, will rise by 4.4 percent on Sunday to 7.83 pounds (11 U.S. dollars).
The LPC said the increase keeps the national living wage on track to reach 60 percent of Britain's average earnings by 2020.
LPC chair Bryan Sanderson said: "New analysis shows that the minimum wage is an important force in helping those on low wages. More workers than ever before will see a real increase to their pay, as up to 2.5 million workers will benefit from these increases. The biggest rise in the minimum wages for 18-24 year olds for a decade will mean they benefit too."
Young workers on age-related minimum wages will see above-inflation pay rises with hourly rates for 21-24 and 18-20 year olds rising by 4.7 percent and 5.4 percent respectively
Over the last 10 years, increases in the minimum wage have meant workers at the bottom of the pay scales have seen real-terms hourly pay increases of up to 10 percent.
The biggest group to benefit will be hundreds of thousands of people employed in hair and beauty salons, as well as 475,000 working in retail, 290,000 in hospitality and 275,000 in cleaning and maintenance. The new pay rates will apply to 5.2 percent of workers in London and 14.2 percent in Northern Ireland.
