Debate on 11th March: The national minimum wage and poverty. LLN 2010/008

Debate on 11th March: The national minimum wage and poverty. This Library Note aims to provide background reading for the debate to be held on 11th March: “The impact of the National Minimum Wage on household and individual poverty” This Note examines the history and development of the National Minimum Wage since its introduction in 1999, and its effect on earnings, the economy, and groups within society. The Note then examines levels and trends in poverty since the election of the Labour Government and the subsequent introduction of the National Minimum Wage.