Could depend what proportion of their employees are early in their training. When I was studying, fellow students working for the big accountancy firms tended to be amongst the lower paid of us. I was amazed to realise that I was earning more than a couple of classmates at the same stage of their studies who worked at PWC. Once they qualified was when the big pay kicked in. No idea if this is still the case or if KPMG follow the same trend, but it's possible.

In London they start on mid-£20,000s.

I think I am undestating the figures on reflection.

Are those with a degree though?

I am sceptical you can control for other factors. At the moment we seem to be going through a period of increasing casualisation of labour and increasing numbers zero hours contracts. How would you take into account the apparent fact that this seems to be occurring simply because employers can get away with it as opposed to there being any influence on it by the minimum wage? Also give the cuts and recessions in certain parts of the economy e.g. construction I just don't see how it wouldn't be swamped as a factor and in any case many jobs in recession hit areas normally play more than MW anyway.




It isn't arbitrary at all. It's a product of research not some arbitrary figure plucked out of thin air. Like anything else it isn't going to cater for all circumstances but given it is based on the Minimum Income Standard (MIS) which [idoes[/i try and cater for differences I think it is quite a reasonable concept and figure. In simple terms items have been identified that people need in order to give them a minimum standard of living and those items are costed to derive the hourly rate which is currently £7.45 an hour outside London (MW is £6.19).

You can see the background [url=http://www.crsp.ac.uk/downloads/Living%20Wage/Uprating%20the%20out%20of%20London%20Living%20Wage%20in%202012.pdfhere[/url

The MIS is discussed [url=http://www.minimumincomestandard.orghere[/url

and an overview of what goes into the MIS is given (no Sky TV should satisfy some people)
[url=http://www.minimumincomestandard.org/downloads/publicity/MIS_leaflet_A4.pdfhere[/url

You can calculate if you have enough to live off (according to MIS) [url=http://www.minimumincome.org.ukhere[/url

So the MIS is less arbitrary then a flat rate figure but if you look into those documents you can see how it is used to derive the LW.

What a load of shoite that is, I only need to work a day a month apparently!

Lucky you, your point is?

He's considerably richer than yow.

You haven't really got this have you? It is calculating the [uminimum[/u amount required given someones family circumstances to derive a figure for their [uMinimum[/u Income Standard.

The fact you claim to earn the figure it calculates for you by ones day work a month is neither here nor there. Ditto if you lead a more extravagant lifestyle that means your outgoings are higher than it calculates as well. Like I said you just don't get it.

Most church mice are these days mate

Interesting article, I feel pretty sure the Tories would be going after the minimum wage should they win the next election.