The Low Pay Commission (LPC) has begun gathering evidence in support of its 2019 report.
The report will be published in October of this year, recommending the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) rates to apply from April 2020.
The LPC is also seeking opinions on the path for the minimum wage beyond 2020, inviting views on how the existing target for the National Living Wage has worked and on potential future arrangements.
For the NLW, the LPC is seeking evidence in order to advise on the viability of the stated target of 60% of median earnings by 2020. The LPC says it is especially interested in:
* Views on the affordability and effects of an increase to the ‘on target’ rate for April 2020 – currently around £8.67.
* Evidence of the impact of increases in the NLW since its introduction – including the April 2019 uprating – on workers, employers, the labour market and the economy.
* Evidence of how employers are seeking to improve productivity.
* Evidence on how the economic outlook is affected by the process of leaving the European Union.
The LPC is seeking evidence from employers, workers, representatives, experts and the public, with a particular interest in sectors that either make up a lot of minimum wage workers (e.g. retail and hospitality) or where a high proportion of workers are on the minimum wage (e.g. social care).
The consultation closes on Friday 7 June.
In addition to this written consultation, the LPC also conducts a series of visits around the UK, and holds bilateral meetings to gather evidence from individual organisations. Find out more