Emigrate to the EU and work for £2.79 per hour minimum living wage

Brexit Britain's £12.21 per hour is 86% higher than EU average, workers' right are much stronger

Montage © Facts4EU.Org 2025

Once again, the EU’s mythical ‘level playing field’ is ploughed up by the facts

Last Tuesday (01 April) the UK’s latest statutory Living Wage level was applied across the country. Set at £12.21 per hour this is applicable to all workers aged 21 and older. Yesterday in Brussels the EU Commission announced the minimum (living) wage levels for those countries across the bloc who have this. The UK has the second-highest living wage of all EU countries who have a minimum wage.

The myth still exists, perpetuated by Rejoiners who have scant regard for facts, that somehow the rights of workers and of citizens generally are infinitely poorer in the United Kingdom than they are in the EU. This is despite all the numerous times Facts4EU has shown that the opposite is the case. The latest figures released by the EU Commission’s statistics agency yesterday are another case in point.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

2025 data for statutory minimum wages – The UK compared with the EU

EU Average : £6.58 per hour
United Kingdom : £12.21 per hour (86% higher)

© Brexit Facts4EU.Org 2025 - click to enlarge
[Sources: EU Commission (Eurostat) and UK DWP.]
[Note: Converted into GBP at €1 = £0.8576. Monthly rate for countries converted into hourly rates accounting for variations (eg 35 hour week in France).]

On workers’ rights, the EU still lags behind the UK by over 25 years

More than four years ago (on 28 Oct 2020), the EU Commission announced that it would be bringing in a ‘Directive’ on minimum wages across the EU. They proclaimed this as follows:-

“An EU Directive to ensure that the workers in the Union are protected by adequate minimum wages allowing for a decent living wherever they work.”

But 22 years after the UK enforced a national minimum wage, the EU still proposed to make it voluntary

Buried down in the EU Commission’s communication about this new Directive, following the warm words from Ursula von der Leyen and her Commissioners, was the following:

“It does not oblige Member States to introduce statutory minimum wages,
nor does it set a common minimum wage level.”

In other words, 22 years after the UK led the way and introduced a national minimum wage in 1998, the EU would still not have one, and furthermore it would not compel member states to introduce one.

Despite this, here were the EU Commissioners' pronouncements that week in 2020

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said:

“Today's proposal for adequate minimum wages is an important signal that also in crisis times, the dignity of work must be sacred. We have seen that for too many people, work no longer pays. Workers should have access to adequate minimum wages and a decent standard of living.”

Nicolas Schmit, Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, said:

“Almost 10% of workers in the EU are living in poverty: this has to change. People who have a job should not be struggling to make ends meet. Minimum wages have to play catch up with other wages”

Two years later in 2022 the EU did eventually bring in a 'Directive' on minimum wages, and yes, indeed it was voluntary, and no, five out of the EU member countries still do not have one, 27 years after the UK legislated for this.

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Brexit Facts4EU.org Summary

No EU minimum wage

5 Member states have no legal minimum wage at all
Lowest minimum wage : Bulgaria (£2.79 per hour)
Highest minimum wage : Luxembourg (£13.35 per hour)
United Kingdom : £12.21 per hour
The highest minimum wage in the EU is nearly five times higher than the lowest

EU workers' and women's rights laws are lower than UK’s

UK statutory paid holiday entitlement is 28 days, in EU only 20 days
UK has National Minimum Wage Act 1998 – there's no EU minimum wage law
Maternity leave – UK: 52 weeks, EU: 14 weeks
Under EU laws, the British people's rights would decrease

For completeness, the UK has both a statutory minimum wage and a statutory living wage, whereas the EU only refers to a Minimum Wage, which is equivalent to the UK's Living Wage. The UK also has a Minimum Wage for those aged under 21.

For those aged 21 and over, the Living Wage rose on 01 April 2025 from £11.44 to 12.21 per hour, an increase of 6.7%. For 18-20 year-olds the Minimum Wage rose from £8.60 to £10,00 per hour - a truly substantial increase of 16.3%.

Observations

In the lead-up to the EU Referendum, Remainers claimed workers’ rights were protected by the EU and that these would be decimated if the UK were to leave. Before the Referendum and in the years subsequently, Facts4EU published numerous reports showing how workers' rights mostly originated in UK legislation and that the UK was way ahead in this regard.

Sadly, even to this day Rejoiners are still trotting out the same nonsense, with no basis in facts because these are of little interest to them, it seems. It therefore falls to us to ensure that the public is fully aware of the reality. Our report today is just one more in a long line on the subject. It's topical because the EU only released their latest figures yesterday and also because the UK's statutory living wage and minimum wage were both increased last week, so we have comparable measures.

Aside from the fact the EU has no minimum wage law some 27 years after the UK introduced its own, the EU's figures show the continuing disparity across the bloc. Whilst it is true that the cost of living is cheaper in a country such as Bulgaria (minimum wage £2.79 per hour), this does not nearly compensate for the contrast with a country such as Germany. Even allowing for cost differences in the two countries, a German is more than twice as well off in wage per hour terms.

The EU Directive which was finally published in 2022 did exactly what we predicted in 2020. It merely set out some aspirations. Sadly, for many poor people across the EU, aspirations do not pay bills.

Had the UK stayed in the EU, the pull of a statutory minimum wage – as well as all the other benefits such as free healthcare - would still have drawn hundreds of thousands of people from poorer EU countries to come and live in the United Kingdom.

Talking of poorer people…

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[ Sources: EU Commission (Eurostat), 10 Apr 2025 | EU Commission 2020 and 2022. ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Fri 11 Apr 2025

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Reader Comments 9

1. Sparky , Friday, April 11, 2025, 06:55:

Good analysis. Surprisingly significant difference. Minimum wage should and probably is a reflection of the average salary. UK minimum wage should have reduced the benefits bill by lifting people above benefits but I feel benefits have kept pace with MW. Interesting that this piece says the EU hasn’t introduced MW, if it did the EU would be criticised for interfering with Sovereign Govts.

2. Old Albion , Friday, April 11, 2025, 07:27:

Oh! so close 'Sparky' you were actually acknowledging a truth publicised by 'facts4EU' an all time first for you.
Just couldn't quite do it and had to add your piece of EU defence at the end. (As if interfering with sovereign Govts, has ever bothered you before)

3. NH , Friday, April 11, 2025, 08:20:

1. Sp
As usual you seem to be completely missing the point. This report is not about whether a high minimum wage is a good or bad thing, it's about Remainers false claims that workers rights would be protected by remaining in the EU. The facts shown above clearly show that this was another ridiculous false claim.
.
If everything is so wonderful in the EU why are there so many EU citizens in the UK, why are so many EU citizens still using the EU Settlement scheme to enter the UK, why are EU youth so keen to come to the UK ? They have full rights to go to 27 EU countries but the UK seems to be the only one that interests them.

4. LuxuryBalloon , Friday, April 11, 2025, 09:31:

What happened to the ‘Bonfire of EU laws’ … including the burdensome EU workers rights legislations?
Does the UK/EU trade deal, agreed in December 2020 by Boris, not commit the UK to the concept of ‘non-regression’ of social and labour protections?

5. Ashley Great Britain , Friday, April 11, 2025, 16:13:

4 lux ball.
Not to sure what your going on about, but the bonfire of EU law hasn't happened because the uk government doesn't want it to. That's why so far they have pretty much prevented Brexit. We'll keep on saying it, year after year till it happens. Just as you and sparky will keep on saying "Brexit Bad" "EU good"

6. LuxuryBalloon , Friday, April 11, 2025, 17:32:

5 Ashley … if everything was either black or white, life would be simple. I am keen for Brexit to be a success … but Brexit has been very underwhelming so far.
It was fun when we could blame everything on the EU. It is less funny when we start blaming fellow Brittons (eg nameless civil servants, the Blob, the woke).
The Trump’s tariffs are a good example: When tariffs for the UK were 10% and for the EU were 20%: this is a big Brexit win. When Trump lowered the EU tariffs to the same level as the UK: these tariffs have nothing to do with Brexit.

7. Gazzablack , Friday, April 11, 2025, 18:46:

6 LB
.
Im pretty sure that had Trumps tariffs on the UK been 20% and his tariffs on the EU had been 10% it would have been loudly heralded as a Brexit cost.

8. Sparky , Saturday, April 12, 2025, 06:53:

2 OA. Sovereignty was a key argument for vote Leave. Have a look at UK in a changing Europe for their report on sovereignty.
.
3 NH. Why is Facts4EU still running a campaign to Leave the EU.
.
7 G. Brexitears were shouting very loudly last week about the difference in tariffs between UK and EU being a Brexit win, it was one of the first and was clutching at straws before it disappeared.

9. Ashley Great Britain , Saturday, April 12, 2025, 08:16:

6 lux ball.
-
Yes fair enough but the point is, if we were EU members then we would have had their tariffs straight away. We got 10% because that's what we charge, and it's the lowest US tariff. There might be a delay in further EU tariffs but I'm quite sure they will go up again with EU reactions, the UK's won't go past 10% and if stupid Labour did a good job ours could be lower.

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