2022 Employment Changes

What to look out for in 2022:

 

The National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage

From 6^th April 2022, the new hourly rates recommended by the Low Pay Commission and accepted by the government will be: 

• Age 23 or over (national living wage rate): £9.50 (from £8.91)
• Age 21 to 22: £9.18 (from £8.36)
• Age 18 to 20: £6.83 (from £6.56)
• Age 16 to 17: £4.81 (from £4.62)
• Apprentice rate: £4.81 (from £4.30) 

 

Statutory Sick Pay

The rate of statutory sick pay will increase from £96.35 to £99.35 on 11^th April.

 

Statutory Maternity Pay, Statutory Paternity Pay, Shared Parental Pay, Adoption Pay, Maternity Allowance, and Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay 

The standard weekly rate of maternity, paternity, shared parental and adoption pay will increase from £151.97 to £156.66 on 11^th April 2022. 

To be entitled to these payments, the employee’s average earnings must be equal to or more than the lower earnings limit of £123 per week form 11^th April 2022. 

 

A Week’s Pay 

The statutory cap on a weeks pay for the purposes of calculating the basic award and statutory redundancy pay has not yet been published, but normally increases in April each year.

 

NI Contributions 

There is a 1.25% increase from April 2022. 

 

Other Potential Changes 

• The extension of protection against redundancy re: pregnancy, maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave, including extending redundancy protection to six months post return to work after the end of maternity, adoption leave etc.

• Neonatal leave and pay – where a baby is born prematurely or sick and is in neonatal care there will be an entitlement to a week of neonatal leave and pay for each week that the baby is in neonatal care up to a maximum of 12 weeks (it is not clear yet how this will interact with maternity leave) 

• A new right to 1 week’s unpaid leave per year for carers 

• New legislation to ensure that tips in restaurants are retained by staff in full, and are not either partially or wholly taken off them by their employers 

• A new right for workers to request a more stable contract after 26 weeks service 

• New legislation to enhance flexible working rights 

• New legislation to protect against “firing and rehiring”