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Pay day boost for thousands of South East workers as National Minimum Wage rise hits payslips

1st May 2025
  • National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage increase puts more money in the pockets of 410,000 of the lowest paid workers in the South East.
  • Real terms pay rise will boost wages by £1,400 per year for an eligible full-time worker, boosting living standards and kickstarting growth as part of the Plan for Change.
  • Visit Check Your Pay to make sure you don’t miss out.

Up to 410,000 workers in the South East have started to receive boosted payslips as workers begin to see the benefits of the new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates taking effect.

The changes will help provide families with better financial stability and living standards, delivering real terms pay increase of £1,400 per year for eligible full-time workers, supporting the Government’s plan to kickstart growth as part of the Plan for Change.

This uplift delivers better financial security for working people and allows for further workers to potentially benefit from positive spill-over impacts including possible wage increases for those already earning more than the legal minimum.

Employment Rights Minister Justin Madders said:

“Workers across the country are beginning to receive the much-needed boost to their pay slips, as our Plan for Change is putting more money into their pockets.

“By ensuring a hard day’s work is rewarded with a fair day’s pay, we’re raising living standards millions of families and ensuring that everyone is a part of this government’s mission to deliver economic growth to every part of the UK.

“If you haven’t already, check your pay to ensure you aren’t missing out on a well-deserved pay rise for work done from 1st April.”

To ensure workers were fairly compensated, for the first time this Government instructed the Low Pay Commission, the body which recommends the wage rates, to include the cost of living and inflation in its assessment.

On top of this, the Employment Rights Bill, a key pillar in the Plan to Make Work Pay, will release an additional £600 a year to some of the lowest paid workers. This will ensure that these workers get receive an uplift to wages that delivers better quality of life.

Workers in the South East have earned this pay rise and they need to make sure they get it. Visit gov.uk/checkyourpay to check if you are eligible.