Claire Reindorp, chief executive of Young Women’s Trust, said:
“For young women whose employers voluntarily pay the living wage, this considerable increase will be welcome. However, the harsh reality is that for many young women, they will only be receiving the government minimum wage, which will make life even harder as the cost of living crisis deepens.
We’re hearing far too many stories of young women who are unable to afford the essentials, struggling to feed their children, and going hungry themselves. They are being stretched to their limits. Whilst thousands of employers are signed up to the real living wage, we are calling for the government living wage to rise, at the very least, in-line with inflation – and to be extended to under 23s, who can currently legally be paid less than older workers for the same jobs.”
