Scotland has lowest percentage of workers paid below living wage in UK

New figures have revealed that Scotland has the lowest proportion of workers paid below the Living Wage of any nation in the UK and lower than any region in England outside of London and the South East.

The figures, obtained through Written Parliamentary Question, confirm that 18.4 per cent of people in Scotland earn less than the Living Wage compared to 23.9 per cent in Wales, 27.6 per cent in Northern Ireland and 21.7 per cent in Wales and 21.7 per cent in England.

However, the Scottish Government has also called on Westminster to do more to promote the real Living Wage, as the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre (SPICe) confirm that only 24 FTSE 100 companies are accredited Living Wage employers..

SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald, who obtained the figures, said: “These figures are very encouraging and are a reflection of the commitment the Scottish Government, local government, the third sector and businesses across Scotland have made to the promotion of the Living Wage.

“The Scottish Government has paid all staff within their pay scheme, including NHS staff, a Living Wage since 2011 and became an accredited LivingWage employer earlier this year. Some 318 employers in Scotland have now signed up to the Scottish Living Wage Accreditation Scheme – a fantastic achievement that takes us a long way to meeting the target of 500 by March next year.

“But the revelation that many of the UK’s biggest businesses – less than a quarter of the FTSE 100 companies – are yet to become accredited Living Wageemployers shows just how much work there is left to do. Businesses such as SSE, the Royal Bank of Scotland and Aberdeen Asset Management have already seen the reputational and economic benefits of becoming an accredited Living Wage employer – I would encourage other big businesses to explore these substantial benefits.

“In contrast to the Scottish Government’s approach, the UK Government has done little to nothing to promote the Living Wage. Rather than working with trade unions and businesses to promote fair work and decent pay – the Tory Business Secretary spends his time attacking workers’ rights and trade unions. I call on the Business Secretary to work with the UK’s biggest employers to promote the benefits of the real Living Wage and ensure more people are paid a decent wage.”