This is a past event
Low wages, minimum wages or a Living Wage: Is there a case for paying above the market rate?
Abstract
The Living Wage is far from a recent concept but since the launch of the London Citizens Living Wage campaign in 2001 there has been renewed interest in the principle in the UK, with political support and commitments to the wage policy secured at the Greater London Authority (GLA) and at the national level since the UK May 2010 general election. This paper provides an overview of the arguments for and against a voluntary adoption of a Living Wage rate by employers. These arguments are illustrated with reference to the experiences of two important employers based in York, England - the Joseph Rowntree Foundation/Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRF/JRHT) and the City of York Council (CYC) - who have recently implemented a Living Wage policy for their own workforces.
Jo Swaffield is a Professor of Economics in the Department of Economics at the University of York. Her main areas of research interest are labour economics and applied microeconometrics, focusing on issues such as the gender wage gap and low wages (including the minimum wage and the Living Wage).
- Speaker
- J K Swaffield, University of York
- Hosted by
- Dr Yu Apoki
- Venue
- S86 EWB