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WQ.337/2024
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SECURITY BY DEPUTY K.M. WILSON OF ST. CLEMENT
QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 7th OCTOBER 2024 ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 14th OCTOBER 2024
Question
"Regarding the Jersey minimum hourly wage, will the Minister state –
- the number of employed people who are paid less than the minimum wage, and the reasons for this;
- in which sectors of the economy is the minimum wage not paid and why;
- what steps, if any, the Minister is taking to ensure compliance with the law regarding the payment of the minimum wage; and
- the number of actions, if any, taken in the last 12 months against employers who fail to meet the legal requirements regarding paying the minimum wage?"
Answer
- The Employment Law requires all workers aged above school leaving age to be paid at least the minimum wage, which is currently set at £11.64 per hour. There are no exemptions. Employers have the ability to offset accommodation costs or food and accommodation costs up to fixed weekly limits where these services are provided by the employer. Any offsets should be documented on the employee's payslip. Children below school leaving age are not subject to the Employment Law or the minimum wage requirements; they are allowed to work part time, subject to a range of restrictions on hours and type of work. There is no minimum wage applied to this age group and data on employment of this age group is not maintained by the Government. If the Deputy is aware of any circumstances where the minimum wage is not being paid, this should be reported to Revenue Jersey.
- As (a), all workers above school leaving age are required to be paid at least the minimum wage. Accommodation offsets as provided for under the Employment Law are mainly used in the agricultural and hospitality sectors.
- Responsibility for minimum wage compliance now rests with the Comptroller of Revenue (acting as agent for the Minister for Social Security). Revenue Jersey's employer compliance team administer employer responsibilities relating to ITIS, minimum wage, Class 1 Social Security Contributions and manpower return information. The Comptroller is routinely represented in Ministerial meetings and the Minister takes a keen interest in Revenue Jersey's work, including resourcing and processes.
- Revenue Jersey considers the application of the minimum wage as part of its compliance work, and particularly all its visits to employers.
The numbers for recent years (post COVID) are as follows:
2022 – 103 visits and 1522 interventions. 989 previously non-compliant employers brought up to date and 0 minimum wage issues
2023 – 180 visits and 1804 interventions. 713 previously non-compliant employers brought up to date and 0 minimum wage issues
It is Revenue Jersey's policy to investigate all complaints about non-payment of the minimum wage from Islanders, but no complaints have been received in the last 12 months.