Welsh workers set for pay rise with new National Minimum Wage
Source: gov.uk (2025-03-31)

Up to 160,000 workers in Wales will receive a pay rise as the new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates take effect.

- National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage increase will put more money in the pockets of up to 160,000 of the lowest paid workers in Wales.
- Real-terms pay rise will boost wages by £1,400 per year for an eligible full-time worker.
- New rates put more money back into the pockets of working people, boost living standards and kickstart growth as part of the Plan for Change.
Up to 160,000 workers in Wales will today (Tuesday 1 April) receive a pay rise as the new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates take effect.

Full-time workers on the National Living Wage will see a real-terms pay increase of £1,400 per year, helping to provide families with better financial stability, improve living standards and kickstart growth as part of the Plan for Change.

This uplift will deliver security for working people and ease the pressure on their day-to-day finances. It also allows for further workers to potentially benefit from positive spill-over impacts including possible wage increases for those already earning more than the legal minimum.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said:

We promised to make low pay a thing of the past. Now, as part of our Plan to Make Work Pay and the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation, we are delivering that.

Low pay is not only bad for workers, it prevents them from spending on our high streets and allowing local businesses to achieve their full potential.

By ensuring that everyone gets a fair wage for the hours they work, we’re delivering the financial stability needed to kick-start economic growth and ensure our country is fit for the future

Employment Rights Minister Justin Madders said:

Hard work deserves to be rewarded and this Government’s Plan to Make Work Pay is making that a reality.

We’re raising the floor for workers from Cardiff to Colwyn Bay, putting more money into their pockets and delivering the increased living standards needed to kickstart economic growth across Wales.

The full increases from 1 April 2025 are:
- National Living Wage (21+) has increased 6.7%, from £11.44 to £12.21 per hour
- National Minimum Wage (18-20) has a record increase of 16.2%, from £8.60 to £10 per hour
- National Minimum Wage (under 18) has increased 18%, to £7.55 per hour
- Apprentice Rate has the largest increase of 18%, from £6.40 to £7.55 per hour
- Accommodation Offset of £10.66 per day
The Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said:

Today thousands of the lowest paid workers in Wales will receive a pay rise worth £1,400 a year to help with household bills and improve living standards.

Families across Wales will see this increase in their pay packets from today as the UK Government puts more money in the pockets of working people.

This UK Government is unashamedly pro-worker which is why this year is the first where the Low Pay Commission, the body which recommends wage rates, was instructed to include the cost of living and inflation in its assessment.

On top of this the Employment Rights Bill, a key pillar in the Plan to Make Work Pay, will release an additional £600 a year to some of the lowest paid workers. This will ensure that these workers receive an uplift to wages that delivers better quality of life.

Workers in Wales have earned this pay rise and they need to make sure they get it. Visit gov.uk/checkyourpay (https://checkyourpay.campaign.gov.uk/) to check if you are eligible.