30% of Barking and Dagenham residents in employment earning less than London Living Wage

12 April 2019 Download as PDF

30% of Barking and Dagenham residents in employment are earning less than a living wage of £10.55 per hour new GMB study shows

For these residents in jobs, to make ends meet, housing benefits and working families tax credits/universal benefits are essential as are more genuinely affordable social housing for rent, says GMB London

A total of 18,300 residents in Barking and Dagenham in employment were earning less than a living wage of £10.55 per hour in the year to end April 2018 a new GMB analysis of official data for earnings and hours shows.

The median earnings for Barking and Dagenham residents in full time and part time employment in the year to end April 2018 was £12.52 per hour. Some 18,300 of these, or 30%, were earning less than a living wage of £10.55 per hour.

For Barking and Dagenham residents in full time employment the median earnings were £14.28 per hour. Of these some 9,000, or 20%, earned less than a living wage of £10.55 per hour.

The median earnings for Barking and Dagenham residents in part time employment in the year to end April 2018 was £9.26 per hour. Some 60% of these, that is 9,600 workers, were earning less than a living wage of £10.55 per hour.

Set out in the table below is the full analysis for Barking and Dagenham residents in employment by GMB London of official data in the 2018 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings published Office of National Statistics (ONS). The figures do not include the self-employed. Where numbers don't tally this is due to rounding up. Set out in the notes to editors are the sources and definitions for the table below.

Barking & Dagenham

Working Pattern	Gross Hourly Earnings (£) in Barking & Dagenham (2018)*	Numbers of residents in jobs with earnings less than the Living Minimum Wage**	% of jobs with earnings less than the Living Minimum Wage**
All Workers	12.52	18,300	30
Full Time	14.28	9,000	20
Part Time	9.26	9,600	60

Warren Kenny, GMB Regional Secretary said:

"There is a very long way to go for all residents in jobs in Barking and Dagenham to be paid a London Living Wage of £10.55 per hour.

“Some 18,300 residents in jobs, or 30% of the total residents in the borough in jobs are not earning a living wage of £10.55 per hour. Some 60% of all residents in part time jobs earn less than £10.55 per hour.

“This is something that is not going to change quickly in the current upstairs/downstairs jobs market in London.

“For these residents in jobs, to make ends meet, housing benefits and working families tax credits/universal benefits are essential. So too are more genuinely affordable social housing for rent.

“These earnings figures are another reason why Barking and Dagenham Council and councillors should call in the plans of Be First Regeneration Ltd, who’s recently filed accounts have shown a loss of almost £4 million, for new homes planned to be built in the years to 2023.

“Last month, GMB showed that only 1,600 of the 9,700 new homes planned to be built by the council owned Be First Regeneration Ltd would be affordable homes. GMB called on Barking and Dagenham Council to insist that the target for genuinely affordable social housing be raised from 16% up to the National Labour Party target of 50% for the majority of new homes to be genuinely affordable social housing. [See notes to editors for the GMB press release on this]

“GMB reiterate that call which these figures show to be absolutely necessary."

END

Contact: Vaughan West 07967 342197 or Tony Warr 07710 631336 or GMB London Press Office 0758 3039451

Notes to Editors

1] Notes on the table above:

* Based on Median values as provided by the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) Tables.

** Living Minimum Wage is set at £10.55 in London.

***Estimates provided for selected percentiles in the distribution of earnings below £10.55. Percentiles mark the values below which certain proportions of jobs fall. For example, the 20th percentile is the value below which 20% of jobs fall.