“IT will take some time” to assess the impact of raising Jersey’s minimum wage to £13 an hour this year, the Social Security Minister has said.
Deputy Lyndsay Feltham highlighted that the Island’s new minimum wage had only recently come into force, in response to a written question from Deputy Karen Wilson asking whether the government was collecting data on the impact of the changes on businesses.
Deputy Feltham said the government maintained “close contacts” with businesses.
The minimum wage rose to £13 an hour in April this year, in what the government has described as the “first step” towards aligning the minimum wage with a “living wage” – which also considers the cost of living – with the next step setting the rate at two-thirds of the 2024 median wage next year.
The government has said it is investing £20 million over two years to help employers with the transition and to support lower-income workers.
In her response, Deputy Feltham said the Employment Forum undertook independent research and published “comprehensive” reports on the minimum wage, with the organisation’s upcoming report informing the 2027 rate.
She said: “Ministers maintain close contacts with local businesses through a range of formal and informal routes. The 2025 minimum wage has been in force for less than three months, and it will take some time for any impact to be seen through formal data collection methods.”
Annual surveys were carried out by Statistics Jersey, she said, including the Average Earnings Index, Gender Pay Gap report and Earnings Statistics report.
Deputy Feltham said the government did not collect information on the cost of hiring workers, when asked by Deputy Wilson.
