IDR’s latest research of pay for care workers shows that less than a fifth of care employers set their lowest rate at the level of the statutory minimum, the National Living Wage, which is currently £8.91. But while most pay above the NLW, the median rate for care assistants, at £9.29, is only 4.3% above the legal floor, and even the upper quartile, the point at which three-quarters pay below, which stands at £9.98, is only 6.7% above it. By contrast, most supermarkets pay their shopfloor staff above the care sector median, in some cases well above it.
Minimum rates
While the median rate for care assistants is £9.29 an hour, minimum rates vary from £8.91 to £11.21 an hour. Meanwhile, senior care assistants or team leaders are generally paid much more. The lowest minimum rate for a senior care assistant/team leader is £9.46 and the highest is £16.40. The median minimum hourly rate for this grade is £11.20, and the average is slightly higher at £11.69.
