Demonstrates the importance of timimg in the measurement of low pay, particularly when the survey period and National Minimum Wage changes do not coincide.
Recently the Labour Force Survey (LFS) has moved from reporting on a seasonal to calendar quarter basis. This article uses data on both bases to demonstrate how timing can affect low pay estimates, particularly when the survey period and changes in the National Minimum Wage (NMW) do not coincide. The number of low paid can vary considerably over a year. Looking at the changes in responses throughout the year shows some evidence of non-compliance and different patterns of implementing the NMW according to firm size.
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The Full Text of this article can be found on the National Statistics website (http://www.statistics.gov.uk/elmr/04_07/downloads/ELMR_April07_Ritchie.pdf).
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Ormerod, C., Ritchie, F. Measuring low pay: the importance of timing. Econ Lab Market Rev 1, 18–22 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.elmr.1410056
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.elmr.1410056