HMRC reaches out to gamers about minimum wage
24 May 2022
The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) have decided to spread awareness on national minimum wage (NMW) using advertising on mobile games. As the NMW increased in April 2022, BEIS wants young workers to be informed of their entitlements. Games such as Angry Birds, The Sims, FIFA and Sugar Blast will call on workers to check their wages. The advert will be 15 seconds and link to the check your pay page. This page provides easy access to legislated pay rates for each age.
On 1 April this year, we witnessed the largest ever rise to national living wage (NLW) to £9.50 per hour. A full-time worker should receive an extra £1000 per year as a result of the changes, and the rises in NMW/NLW rates are expected to benefit around 2.5 million people. For the legislated pay rates to be upheld, employees need to have access to this knowledge so that they can check their pay.
Earlier this month, BEIS released information on NMW compliance and enforcement. With over £16.8 million in arrears being identified in 2020/21, it is clear why this is an area that the government wants to increase awareness about.
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