Minimum wage increase accepted by minister
A recommendation to increase the minimum wage by 2.8% is agreed by Senator Elaine Millar.
The social security minister has accepted a recommendation to raise the minimum wage.
Senator Elaine Millar said she had accepted a proposal from the Jersey Employment Forum to lift the minimum wage by 2.8% to £13.97 an hour. The increase would take effect from 1 April 2027, up from the current £13.59, in line with the Jersey retail price index (RPI) in June 2026.
Millar, the Minister for Social Security, said she had "decided to accept the forum's recommendations in respect of the main minimum wage and trainee minimum wage rates".
Forum chairwoman Carla Benest said businesses and workers had been through "challenging times" and that "the forum has endeavoured to reflect that in our recommendations".
The report said the minimum wage rates for year one and year two trainees should stay at £10.50 and £11.75 an hour respectively for another year from 1 April.
It also called for a matching rise in the allowances employers can claim for accommodation and meals provided to staff paid the main minimum wage rate, which Millar said she accepted.
The minister said: "The forum's report also reflected on the debate about a youth rate and possible changes to the way in which the formal trainee minimum wage policy is currently set.
"I will consider carefully the arguments that have emerged from the forum's consultation exercise, and in particular whether a further consultation on these aspects should take place."