Almost one in six jobs advertised in Hackney pay below living wage, report shows

Hackney Town Hall

Nearly one in six jobs advertised in Hackney pay less than the London Living Wage, a council report has revealed.

A Town Hall report, drawing on data from the London Poverty Profile, shows that 16 per cent of employers in the borough are paying their workers the voluntary rate, which is calculated to reflect the cost of living in the capital.

In October, the London Living Wage was increased to £13.85 per hour.

The data was included in a council report on Hackney’s local economy, scheduled to be put to councillors at the skills, economy and growth scrutiny commission on Monday (10 March).

The report adds that Hackney has seen a slight fall (0.4 per cent) in the number of jobs paid below the living wage since last year – and the borough still outperforms the London average of nearly 18 per cent.

It also adds that income deprivation in the borough has been hard to track since 2021 – reflecting a wider problem across the country “likely” due to the impact of Covid-19.

But in that time, Hackney has had also had fewer people who were economically inactive – neither in work or looking for work – compared to the rest of London and the national average.

On Monday, councillors are also set to review a draft of Hackney’s economic development plan, including statistics that the borough has the highest growth rate in London, but is also the third-most income deprived, according to data taken from 2021.

It also states that 1,500 households in Hackney are unable to meet “basic needs”.