Hourly rates vary by job title across our sample, ranging from £12.71, the same as the legal minimum, for roles such as cleaners and catering/kitchen assistants, to £17.15 for an administrative role at a retailer. Our survey found that roles in leisure, care, hospitality and catering are typically paid less than the overall median. For example, the median rate for a leisure centre worker and support worker is the same as the NLW. The median hourly salary for restaurant and bar staff is close to this at £12.76, just 5p above the NLW. On the other hand, basic administrative roles typically earn slightly more than our overall median, with the median hourly rate for these roles showing at £13.38.
Additional data from IDR’s online tool, Pay Benchmarker, shows that the median hourly minimum rate for store assistants at the large supermarkets is some 54p above the NLW, at £13.25, with Aldi paying the highest hourly rate, of £13.50. In the forthcoming months, minimum rates at Asda and WM Morrison will see further uplifts. These increases will put Asda’s hourly rate at £13.10 nationally and WM Morrison’s rate at £13.11.
About the survey
IDR’s poll of minimum pay rates was conducted in April and May 2026 and focused on sectors most likely to have a significant number of staff on rates level with, or close to, the NLW or VLW. It attracted responses from 37 organisations, together covering 613,132 staff (including 607,176 staff at large organisations). The median headcount for the sample is 3,500 employees.
