Charity welcomes living wage rise in January

A social action charity has welcomed the decision to increase the living wage in Jersey to £15.10 per hour in 2026.

The new rate was approved this week and will come into effect at the beginning of January.

The living wage is £1.51 higher than Jersey’s minimum wage which is set to increase to £13.59 per hour from April 2026.

Caritas Jersey CEO, Patrick Lynch, said the living wage was the minimum islanders needed “in order to thrive, and not just survive here in Jersey”.

Mr Lynch said: “This will be good news for many at accredited organisations and their subcontractors, ahead of the new year, when many people will have increased rental costs and also face increases in the cost of some utilities and other day to day expenses.

“The Jersey Living Wage has never been as important as it is now for so many people with poverty unfortunately still increasing and a continued rise in food bank usage in our island.

“Putting that in perspective, in February 2022 one food bank was seeing 195 families; that figure has now risen to over 640 families.

“The majority of the people who form this increase are people in work, on minimum or low wages.”

He added the differential between the minimum wage and the Jersey Living Wage “remained worryingly high” and something “Assembly members should ponder as they debate the budget this week and look ahead to next June’s general election”.