The National Minimum Wage Act was put in place in 1998 to guarantee a minimum income for employees per hour. The hourly rate is dependent on the employee’s age and if they are participating in a working apprenticeship. It is has been announced in April 2013 that there is to be a rise in the minimum wage, with a 12p increase per hour for over 21’s (1.9%) and a 4p rise for under 18’s. This came as a surprise to some, with the minimum wage for young people not rising in the last financial year. Another unexpected rise was the 3p per hour increase for apprentices, despite previous recommendations by Low Pay Commission (LPC), commenting that we needed to freeze the minimum rate of pay for apprentices. Click here to read more