The Autumn budget has provided a number of points of interest for employers. The first is the formal announcement of the changes to the National Living Wage (NLW) and National Minimum Wage (NMW) which will take effect from April 2022. These are as follows:-

• NLW will increase from £8.91 per hour to £9.50 per hour (for those aged 23 and over)
• NMW 21 to 22 year old rate will increase from £8.36 per hour to £9.18 per hour
• NMW 18 to 20 year old rate will increase from £6.56 per hour to £6.83 per hour
• NMW 16 to 17 year old rate will increase from £4.62 per hour to £4.81 per hour
• NMW apprentice rate for those aged under 19 or in their first year of an apprenticeship will increase from £4.30 per hour to £4.81 per hour, bringing it in line with the NMW for 16 to 17 year olds.

This represents a 6.6% increase for those in receipt of the National Living Wage which translates, for a full-time employee, into an extra £1,074 per year before tax.

The intention to raise £11.4 billion per year via the new Health and Social Care Levy was also reiterated. Initially this will be achieved by a 1.25% increase to national insurance contributions and the rate of tax on dividend income. 

Another announcement included clarification of eligibility for the Scale-Up visa which is designed to allow fast growing businesses to attract highly skilled workers. The Scale-Up visa will be open to applicants who pass the language proficiency requirement and have a high skilled job offer from an eligible business with a salary of at least £33,000. This visa is expected to launch in Spring 2022.