Strengthening uptake of the Living Wage across the UK

Research from academics at Cardiff Business School has led to improvements in the working conditions of thousands of people.

More than 5 million workers across the UK are in low-paid work and rates of in-work poverty are increasing.

The campaign for the Living Wage, which was launched by Citizens UK in 2001 is a voluntary wage standard which employers can adopt, based on UK living costs. It is intended to provide low-paid workers with a decent standard of living.

Research conducted by Professor Edmund Heery and colleagues Dr Deborah Hann and Dr David Nash has informed the strategies and campaigns of the Living Wage Foundation, which was formed to promote the standard and accredit employers. Their work has also informed many other organisations across the UK. By providing tangible evidence of the benefits of signing up to the Living Wage, the research has played an integral role in increasing take-up.