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Nearly four in every 10 workers in Scotland earn less than £20,000 a year.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics reveal that 2.0 million adults across the country had been employed for at least 12 months in 2018.

Some 768,000 of those - or 38.6 per cent - earned less than £20,000.

Campaigners warned that people on low pay often have "nothing left" after they've paid for things like rent and bills - and said many will be going hungry and relying on high cost credit.

The human health and social work industry had the highest number of employees in Scotland earning under £20,000 - at 170,000.

They accounted for 43.6 per cent of the industry’s workforce, which includes nurses, social workers, and carers.

Although the industry had more poorly-paid workers than any other in Scotland, it was by no means the highest proportion.

Industries where households were employers - including jobs like maids, gardeners, caretakers, and babysitters - saw 96.7 per cent of employees earn below £20,000 in 2018.

(Image: Getty)

That was followed by the accommodation and food service (78.6 per cent) and those working in arts, entertainment and recreation (69.1 per cent). At the other end of the scale just 19.7 per cent of employees in Scotland working in the financial and insurance industry earned less than £20,000.

Matthew Geer, campaigns manager at poverty charity Turn2us, said: “It is really concerning that the majority of people in poverty are in working households – 50% of people who came to Turn2us for help over the last year were in work.

“The myth that work is a direct route out of poverty is often based on Victorian perceptions of the deserving and undeserving poor.

“It is outdated and doesn’t reflect the economic issues facing millions in modern Britain.

“People stuck in low paid jobs often have nothing left once they have paid their rent, childcare and bills.

“Often this leads to relying on high cost credit, hunger, and at the worst end of the spectrum, severe poverty.”

Across the UK there were 8.7 million workers who took home less than £20,000 in 2018.

They made up 39.1 per cent of the country’s workforce.

The news comes as a report from the Low Pay Commission estimated that 439,000 people across the UK were illegally paid less than the minimum wage last year, with women and young workers most at risk.

(Image: Getty)

Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, said: “Low pay is a huge problem in Britain and 8 million people living in poverty are in working families.

“And cuts to support for working households are pushing people into foodbanks.

“The minimum wage is still too low. We need it to reach £10 as quickly as possible. “And we need new rights so that workers can access the protection of a union in every workplace to help them negotiate fair pay.”

It is worth pointing out that the figures are for the number of people who earn less than £20,000 - and not the number of households.

A government spokesperson said: “Independent data shows that 17.8% of UK workers are low paid, the lowest level since records began.

“Meanwhile the UK employment rate is a record high, with wages outpacing inflation for over a year. “Over 75% of the growth in work since 2010 has also come from higher-skilled, higher-paid and full-time roles.

“Since 2010 we've introduced the National Living Wage, boosting pay for the lowest earners by £2,750, and cut taxes for 32 million people to help families meet the everyday cost of living and keep more of what they earn.”





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