Thousands of workers in the UK are being paid less than the National Minimum Wage (NMW), according to an article published in Labour Market Trends.
It states that in spring 2004, 272,000 jobs held by people aged 18 and over were paid below the then NMW of 4.50 an hour. And analysis of the new Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings shows that 1.1% of UK jobs are paid below the NMW.
The analysis shows that 45,000 jobs held by 18 to 21-year-olds were paid less than the NMW rate in spring 2004 of 3.80. And 227,000 jobs held by people aged 22 and over were paid at less than their NMW rate of 4.50 an hour.
It also showed that part-time staff were more than three times as likely to be paid below the minimum wage as full-time staff.
Recent figures from the DTI show that more than 2.4m has been recovered from employers who failed to pay their staff the NMW. Between 1 April and 31 October 2004, 5,000 low-paid workers have been helped to receive the pay they are entitled to.
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