Welfare Reform on the Web (April 2012): Minimum Wage - UK

Minimum wage to be frozen for 20-year-olds

A. Grice

The Independent, Mar. 8th 2012, p. 13

The minimum wage for workers aged 20 and under was set to be fixed at less than £5 an hour in 2012. The move was backed by business secretary Vince Cable in an attempt to encourage employers to hire young people. However, Mr Cable was likely to reject calls by employers to also freeze the minimum wage for adults, set at £6.08 an hour, which was soon due for review. Unions criticised the move to freeze the minimum wage, saying it was likely to cause more hardship, since prices had been rising.