Nursery World - Minimum wage rates to increase from 1 April

The national minimum wage rates are set to increase again from 1 April, rising to £7.83 an hour for the highest paid.

The 4.4 per cent increase on the National Living Wage rate is an annual payrise to all those in the UK aged over 25.

The rates are reviewed yearly by the Government, which is advised by the independent Low Pay Commission. It is targeted to reach 60 per cent of median earnings by 2020 – current forecasts put this as being around £9.20 an hour.

The commission has also said this year sees the largest increase in a decade for 18-20- and 21-24-year-olds, with a rise of 4.7 per cent and 5.4 per cent respectively.

However, the childcare sector has struggled with the fee rises on top of the 30 hours rates and other rising business costs.

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