The real Living Wage – celebrating #LivingWageWeek 2022

As a Living Wage Recognised Service Provider, we work with the Living Wage Foundation to champion the Living Wage through our client contracts. We encourage all of our clients to pay at least the Living Wage and ensure all of our consultants are supported to champion this.

Our responsibilities as a Recognised Service Provider doesn’t just stop at our clients though. We are also expected to ensure all of our employees aged 18 and over are paid at least the Living Wage and that this is increased each year in line with the new rates. One group of Prospectus employees that this has a direct impact on are our apprentices.

The government sets the minimum wage for an apprentice at £4.81 per hour during the first year of their apprenticeship, a whopping £7.14 an hour less than the Living Wage rate set for London where Prospectus is based. While we recognise that there are many benefits to an apprenticeship beyond just earning a living, our apprentices are undertaking necessary tasks for us in viable jobs that would otherwise be filled by non-apprentices. Crucially, their cost of living is also not significantly different from their colleagues.

Why did we decide to join the Living Wage movement though? We think the more appropriate question is why wouldn’t you? Why wouldn’t you want the people you employ and those in your supply chain to earn enough to live on? The work of the Living Wage Foundation has never been more important as the impact of the cost of living crisis is felt across the country and we’re proud to pay our part.

You can learn more about the Living Wage Foundation here.