Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many workers earn under the lower earnings limit in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department’s latest estimate is that in Quarter 1 of the financial year 2022/23 there were around 1-1.3 million employees in the UK who earned below the LEL. This figure does not include workers who are self-employed.

Of these employees, (a) 86% were in England, (b) 7% were in Scotland, (c) 4% were in Wales and (d) 3% were in Northern Ireland.

These figures are drawn from the published estimates from the Department’s Statutory Sick Pay Regulatory Impact Assessment: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6715f848386bf0964853d848/Impact_assessment_improve_access_statutory_sick_pay_removing_lower_earnings_limit_removing_waiting_period.pdf

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