The Chancellor’s autumn Budget will see thousands of workers across the county receive a pay rise next year.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves revealed the Government’s historic Autumn Budget on Wednesday which included a rise in national wages in April.
This is the first budget from a Labour government in 14 years and in it the Chancellor covered everything from pensions to fuel duty.
One of the main decisions unveiled was the National Living Wage for people aged 21 or older will rise by 6.7 per cent from £11.44 an hour to £12.21 from next April.
In addition, the National Minimum Wage will rise for people aged between 18 and 20-years old, from £8.60 to £10.
Apprentices will also get a pay bump, with hourly pay increasing from £6.40 to £7.55.
Ms Reeves said: “I know that for working people up and down our country, family finances are stretched and pay checks don’t go as far as they used to.
“For the first time, we will move towards a single adult rate, phased in over time, by initially increasing the National Minimum Wage for 18–20-year-olds by 16.3 per cent as recommended by the Low Pay Commission, taking it to £10 an hour.”
GoForma looked at the Office of National Statistics wage data and deduced how many full-time workers in the county are due pay rises.
Accounting firmAccording to the findings, over 10,000 people are due a wage rise in Brighton and Hove alone.
Charlie Bailey, co-founder of GoForma, said: “The majority of occupations where salaries fall under the minimum wage are in retail, care, warehousing and transportation.
“Although the 2025 minimum wage is £12.21 an hour, this is calculated based on each individual paycheque.
“So if you work an average of 40 hours per week and are paid monthly then your gross earnings must be at least £1953.60.”
According to the data, more than 7,000 people are due a pay rise in Chichester, more than 5,000 in Eastbourne and around 6,000 in Crawley.
Adam French, senior personal finance expert at NerdWallet, said in reaction to the wage increase: “An increase in the living wage will be welcomed by the more than one million low-paid workers in line for a pay rise next year.
“However, this figure is still some way short of the so-called ‘real living wage’ which currently sits at £12.60 per hour according to the Living Wage Foundation.
“It means that even after this pay rise, a full-time worker will be almost £50 short of covering everyday living costs and maintaining living standards each month”
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