How Has the Introduction of the National Living Wage Affected the Catering Industry?

As of April 1, 2016, UK employers are legally obliged to pay staff who are over the age of 25 a minimum National Living Wage. The hourly rate was set at £7.50 for all employees aged 25 and over, a 30p increase on the previous £7.20 hourly rate. The National Minimum Wage still applies to workers who are aged 24 and under.

However, an increase in minimum wage for staff has and will continue to increase costs for companies across the UK who legally need to pay their employees more.

In a recent independent survey, Nisbets, supplier of catering equipment to businesses across the UK, questioned over 1,000 UK catering companies about how the National Living Wage has affected their business, and the industry.

Surprisingly, nearly half (46.1 percent) of respondents claimed the introduction of the NLW has had no effect on their business, while 53.9 percent had experienced change.

Of the 53.9 percent, 11.8 percent believed the National Living Wage had positively impacted their business…