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Some Scots complained that people think everybody from Scotland “should all sound Glaswegian”(Image: George Clerk \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\nReal average weekly earnings in 2024 were just \u00a38 higher than they were in 2008.<\/p>\n
11:27, 15 May 2025Updated 11:40, 15 May 2025<\/p>\n
Some Scots complained that people think everybody from Scotland “should all sound Glaswegian”(Image: George Clerk \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Hard-pressed Scots workers are \u00a315,000 a year worse off than they should be due to flatlining wages and the impact of “runaway inflation<\/a>“, a new report has warned.<\/p>\n Research by the Future Economy Scotland<\/a> think tank found workers would be \u00a3297 a week richer if wages had continued to grow “as normal” after 2007\/08 financial crash.<\/p>\n It found real average weekly earnings in 2024 were just \u00a38 higher than they were in 2008 \u2013 equivalent to an increase of just one per cent over the past 16 years.<\/p>\n Laurie Macfarlane, co-director of the think tank, said wage growth in Scotland remains historically low. Never in modern times have Scots seen their earnings grow so little over a 16-year period,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n “Our analysis shows that if wages had instead grown as normal since 2008, the average full-time worker would be over \u00a315,000 a year better off.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE: Glasgow Pride bans political parties over ‘mounting challenges’ to trans rights<\/a>READ MORE: Scottish Labour donor warns national insurance hike will fuel job losses<\/a><\/p>\n Macfarlane said for many households, this meant the difference between economic security and \u201cliving on the breadline\u201d.<\/p>\n He went on: \u201cAlthough real earnings are now rising slowly again, the damage inflicted by disastrous austerity and runaway inflation cannot be undone.<\/p>\n \u201cRather than scapegoating migrants for the country\u2019s economic failures, the debate must focus on the real culprit: a broken economic model.<\/p>\n \u201cAs we enter an election year, there is an urgent need for political parties to embrace bold new ideas to transform the economy.<\/p>\n \u201cScotland simply can\u2019t afford yet another five years of economic failure.\u201d<\/p>\n The Labour Government last month took steps to address persistent low pay rates across the country by raising both the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage.<\/p>\n The UK Government said the changes, which follow a recommendation from the Low Pay Commission last year, mean a full-time worker earning the living wage will see a \u00a31,400 increase in their annual salary.<\/p>\n An estimated 220,000 workers in Scotland will receive an uplift as a result of the increased rates.<\/p>\n \u200cThe National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over has increased 6.7 per cent, from \u00a311.44 to \u00a312.21 per hour.<\/p>\n The National Minimum Wage for workers aged 18-20 sees a record increase of 16.2 per cent, from \u00a38.60 to \u00a310 per hour.<\/p>\n And the minimum wage for those under-18 has increased by 18 per cent, to \u00a37.55 per hour.<\/p>\n