Accredited employers will pay £8.75 an hour from next year

Workers earning the Living Wage are set to receive a pay rise.

From next year, accredited living wage employers in Scotland will increase their hour rate by 30p to £8.75 an hour.

The Living wage Foundation said the 3.5% rise will ensure that pay keeps pace with the real cost of living.

Foundation director Katherine Chapman said: "The new living wage rates announced today will bring relief for thousands of Scottish workers being squeezed by stagnant wages and rising inflation.

"It's thanks to the leadership of employers across Scotland who are committed to paying all their staff, including cleaners and security staff, a real living wage.

"Recent figures show that 5.5 million people are still paid less than the real living wage – it's fantastic that this year alone over a thousand more employers across the UK have chosen to go beyond the legal minimum and pay a real living wage, putting fairness and respect at the heart of their business."

Keith Brown, Scottish cabinet secretary for fair work and the economy, said: "Scotland remains the best-performing of all four UK countries with the highest proportion of employees paid the living wage or more.

"This is a fantastic achievement and a testament to our work promoting the Scottish Government's fair work agenda and putting equality at the heart of our labour market.

"I want to encourage more businesses and organisations from around Scotland to recognise the benefits of paying the living wage and ensure that employees' basic wage continues to meet the real cost of living."