Written question WQ85998

For over a decade, the UK Government has allowed falling pay to become engrained in the economy and refused to invest in sectors such as renewable energy in favour of austerity and false promises on levelling up.

Through our Economic Mission we are working to ensure that Welsh Government investment really pays off for workers and moves us away from precarious employment, low wages and in-work poverty.

The proportion of low-paid employees in Wales has been falling since before the Pandemic. Median hourly pay in Wales is now higher than north-east England, the east Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber. That was not the case at the start of devolution.

ONS estimate that in 2021, the gap in average real disposable household income after housing costs between Wales and Scotland was £900. This has fallen from just under £3,000 in 2019.