Welfare Reform on the Web (May 2003): Minimum Wage - UK

CONTINUITY OR CHANGE? THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE FOR WORK AND EMPLOYMENT IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

D. Adam-Smith, G. Norris and S. Williams

Work, Employment and Society, vol. 17, 2003, p. 29-47

Article draws on interviews with employers, managers and workers to explore the impact of the national minimum wage on the UK hospitality industry. Finds that the informal and labour intensive character of work and employment in the hospitality industry, strongly influenced by product and labour market pressures, gives businesses in low-paying sectors scope to increase pay to minimum wage levels without having to make major changes to the organisation of work or the pattern of employment.