Economics

Study Notes

20 Years of the UK National Minimum Wage

Level:: GCSE, AS, A-Level, IB

Board:: AQA, Edexcel, OCR, IB, Eduqas, WJEC

Last updated 7 Apr 2019

The UK minimum wage came into force in April 1999. For workers aged 25 and over, the minimum wage (now known as the National Living Wage) is £8.21 an hour.

Here are some links to resources and articles on the UK minimum wage.

The main collection of Tutor2u study resources on the minimum wage and related labour market issues can be found here - click this link

Evaluating the effects of the minimum wage

Recent articles:

Minimum wage: How high could the lowest salaries go? (BBC News)

Hamish McRae (Independent) on 20 years of the minimum wage (The Independent)

Minimum wage marks 20 years without negative impact on jobs (Financial Times)

How high can Britain’s minimum wage go? (The Economist)

Related tweets on the UK minimum wage

Weekend Reading: Some recent developments in #labour economics - With the #20thAnniversary of the introduction of the #minimumwage celebrated at the beginning of the week here is our Research Director @ProfPeterDolton paper:#NMW #NationalLivingWage https://t.co/C5Ldv8LNGy
— National Institute of Economic and Social Research (@NIESRorg) April 7, 2019

The National Minimum Wage was introduced to boost pay and it has done that in spades. The very lowest earners in the UK have consistently experienced the strongest pay growth https://t.co/Woh9y1gWZ6 pic.twitter.com/uq2bl4LAlT
— Resolution Foundation (@resfoundation) March 30, 2019

The minimum wage : a British success story. I remember the concerns raised re. unemployment when the NMW was introduced by Tony Blair. As @dsmitheconomics explains, reality did not mirror theory. What about wage compression? There must be a limit to the pay floor. pic.twitter.com/cGoUTDztZK
— G Clarke (@G_Conomics) April 7, 2019

'The National Minimum Wage is a remarkable success story – where next to tackle inequality?' – @Joe_Dromey writes https://t.co/lvKq1F03jB
— HuffPost UK (@HuffPostUK) April 6, 2019

Despite early scaremongering, the national minimum wage has had no discernible impact on employment https://t.co/0rtXPjWGSD
— Prospect (@prospect_uk) April 6, 2019