Data from the Office of National Statistics shows that the number of low-paid jobs in the sector increased in 2024.
- 12% of jobs in the UK’s not-for-profit sector are paid less than the real Living Wage
- Rates of low pay in the not-for-profit sector are more than double rates of low pay in the public sector, which were at 5% in 2024; but lower than in the private sector, where rates of low pay were at 20%
- This is an increase from last year’s figures, when 10% of jobs in the not-for-profit sector were paid below the real Living Wage
- Over 2,000 UK charities are now accredited with the Living Wage Foundation, including Oxfam, Shelter, Macmillan and WWF
- Over 80 Funders are now accredited Living Wage Funders, and support charities to pay the real Living Wage through their grantmaking processes
New analysis of the latest Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), by the Living Wage Foundation, reveals that the number of UK jobs in the not-for-profit sector paid below the real Living Wage rose to 286,000 in the last year.
This is in alignment with rising low pay across every region and nation and virtually every industry in the UK. Nearly 1 in 6 (16%) UK jobs overall are now paid below the real Living Wage.
The real Living Wage, as set by the Living Wage Foundation, is the only wage rate based on the cost of living. It is currently £12.60 in the UK and a higher rate of £13.85 in London. This is different from the government’s ‘National Living Wage’ which is the legal minimum for workers 23 and over. For a full-time worker, that represents £2,262 more than someone earning the government’s National Living Wage. A worker on the London Living Wage would be £4,699.50 better off than someone on the National Living Wage.
The region with the highest rate of low paid not-for-profit jobs is the North East, where 18% of third sector jobs are paid below the real Living Wage. The region with the lowest proportion of low-paid not-for-profit jobs is the South East, where 9.5% of third sector jobs are paid below the real Living Wage. Charity roles paid below the real Living Wage can include care workers, charity shop staff and entry-level workers. A CharityJob survey earlier this year showed that one in four entry level charity jobs is paid below the real Living Wage.
Read more about becoming a Real Living Wage Employer: https://www.livingwage.org.uk/