What do staff get paid in the UK these days?

[Afaia]

I am very out of touch, so would appreciate it if you could tell me roughly what pay would be expected in the UK by a) an office worker and b) an unskilled employee.

Assume it is for a small business in a rural area or small town, not a big city, and that the staff have no specialist skills.

What would the annual or weekly salary be and how much would be taken off this in PAYE and NI contributions please?

Thank you very much.

[Cornish Steve]

As someone else who's out of touch on these matters, my additional concern would be all the entitlements, who you can and cannot hire, when you can and cannot fire, these holidays, those sick days, and the like. From threads I've read, these costs can be very substantial.

[Esk247]

basic costs are something like £5.75 an hour..can't remember the latest National Wage! thats for over 18's and i think you must employ them for a minimum of 6 hours per week or something. There are quite a few hurdles. Basic wages cost a business a few thousand pounds a year just for 6 hours unskilled work. Skilled can charge atleast double that..depending ofcourse on the location, company, client base etc.

[PaddyPawsPetServices]

ive just taken on a full time job, ( Tesco...yes really! ) £6.30p/h, premium for overtime and late nights/sundays/b hols. discount after 6 mos

[Christiane]

My staff are paid £5.80/hour, increasing to £6/h after 6 months, once they know the ropes. One is below the threashold for NI and Tax, the other only pays NI (note both part time).

The crunch in the contract for employees is the holidays...

[Afaia]

Thanks. That's helpful.

I'm not intending to employ anyone in the UK; just trying to make some comparisons for a member of staff here who thinks wages in the UK are vastly more. I am not convinced that is the case now.

For instance I understand UK holiday allowance went up to 28 days today. Here in Greece it is 37 days - 12 of them holy days!

So, if someone earns say 6 GBP p.h. and works a 40-hour week that would be 240 p.w. and 12,480 p.a. if my sums are correct. Assuming you get paid monthly every calendar month I make that 1040 p.m.

I understand as an employer I'd have to pay more with N.I. contribution. How much more?

How much would the employee actually get in their hand, ie: what would be taken off for tax and their N.I. contribution?

[Afaia]

The crunch in the contract for employees is the holidays...

Can you explain what you mean by this please?

[Cornish Steve]

UK holiday allowance went up to 28 days today. Here in Greece it is 37 days
28 days? 37 days? Are you serious? In the US, people start on 5 days of vacation and maybe 10 holidays.

[vvaannmmaann]

Can you explain what you mean by this please?

I think he/she may mean paid holiday entitlement?

[Afaia]

28 days? 37 days? Are you serious? In the US, people start on 5 days of vacation and maybe 10 holidays.

Yes, I am serious. I'm an employer and it is sometimes a big problem having to give so much leave but that is the minimum we can legally offer, once someone has been with you for a year. I only wish I could get even half that much time off myself ...