Record number of Scots employees earning real living wage and outperforming rest of UK, figures show

A record number of Scottish employees are being paid the real Living Wage (rLW), new figures have revealed.

The figures show 91% of employees aged 18 and over earned at least the rLW in 2022 – an increase from 85.5% in 2021.

This indicates the highest proportion of rLW, currently £10.90 per hour, since it was introduced in 2021.

The Scottish Government say the findings, within the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings by The Office for National Statistics, shows that Scotland is “leading the way” on fair pay for employees.

In comparison to Scotland, 87.5% of employees aged 18 and over in England are paid the rLW or more, 88.2% in Wales and 85.4% in Northern Ireland.

The survey also revealed that the Gender Pay Gap is lower in Scotland than across the UK as a whole.

For full-time employees the gap is 3.7% compared with the UK figure of 8.3%.

The findings are based on estimates for April 2022 when the rLW was £9.90 (£11.05 for employees in London).

An increase to £10.90 was announced for employees outside London in September 2022.

Minister for employment and fair work Richard Lochhead said: “The Scottish Government’s commitment to promoting payment of the rLW is a fundamental part of our National Strategy for Economic Transformation and a key cost of living policy to deliver a fairer and more equal society.

“The ONS figures confirm that Scottish employers are leading the way and we can be proud of the progress that has been made.

“There is still work to be done on tackling the gender pay gap, but we are taking steps to make this happen. We will publish our refreshed Fair Work Action Plan later this year, outlining the actions needed to close the gap further and create a more diverse and inclusive workplace.

“We will continue to work with employers, employability providers and partners to achieve this aim.”