United Kingdom
Location of low pay
Key points
- In all regions, except for London and the South East, around a third of all female employees earned less than £7 per hour in 2007. In all regions, except for London and the South East (where the proportion is lower) and Northern Ireland (where the proportion is higher), 15-20% of male employees earned less than £7 per hour.
- See the indicator on trends in low pay.
Graph 1: By region
View Graph as PDF Right click to save large version of Graph as PNG
Map
View Map as PDF Right click to save large version of Map as PNG
View interactive version of map (opens in a new window)
Download a spreadsheet with the district-level statistics
Why this indicator was originally chosen
Low pay is much more prevalent in some geographic areas than others, Furthermore, the prevalence of low pay does not follow the same geographic pattern as the prevalence of lack of work and thus it is an important subject for investigation.
Definitions and data sources
The graph shows, for 2007, how the proportion of employees paid less than £7 per hour varies by region.
The map shows how the proportions of employees paid less than £7 per hour varies by local authority. The data is based on where people live rather than where they work. To improve its statistical reliability, the data is the average for 2005 to 2007.
The data source for both the graph and the map is the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE). The data includes both full-time and part-time employees relates to the United Kingdom. The proportions have been calculated from the hourly rates at each decile using interpolation to estimate the consequent proportion earning less than £7 per hour.
Overall adequacy of the indicator: high. ASHE is a large annual survey of employers.
External links
- For a discussion of the relationship between low pay and income poverty, see the 2006 report by the New Policy Institute and the Bevan Foundation entitled Dreaming of £250 a week: a scoping study of in-work poverty in Wales and the 2004 Joseph Rowntree Foundation report entitled Low pay, household resources and poverty.
- See the Low Pay Commission site and their annual reports on the National Minimum Wage.
Relevant 2007 Public Service Agreements
None directly relevant.
Relevant government policies
The numbers
Graph 1
| Region | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| East | 16% | 30% |
| East Midlands | 18% | 36% |
| London | 11% | 15% |
| North East | 20% | 36% |
| North West | 18% | 33% |
| Northern Ireland | 24% | 33% |
| Scotland | 17% | 30% |
| South East | 13% | 26% |
| South West | 17% | 33% |
| Wales | 20% | 34% |
| West Midlands | 18% | 34% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 18% | 36% |