Deputies warned that Guernsey's minimum wage is lagging behind Jersey's

Wednesday, 30 April 2025 08:20

Guernsey's adult minimum wage will increase to £12.60 an hour from October 2025, while the rate for 16 to 17 year olds will be 90% of that figure, £11.35 an hour.

The debate on the minimum wage, the first of this final, marathon session of the current States Assembly, faced several amendments.

In an odd twist, deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller lost her amendment, but got her wish.

Social Security is to review whether the minimum wage should be effective from 1 January each year, rather than 1 October, to put it in line with Guernsey's tax year.

And it will also consider whether the uplift to the minimum wage should be considered by the States in November, around the time of the annual budget debate.

When it increases on 1 October 2025, Guernsey's minimum wage will still lag behind Jersey's, which is currently £13 an hour. Deputy Peter Roffey warned members about this:

"These proposals will mean that we are starting to fall far behind perhaps our nearest comparator, which is Jersey.

"They increased their minimum wage to £13 at the start of this month and all the indications are that there's going to another very large increase in their minimum wage next year."

Deputies agreed to increase the adult minimum wage to £12.60 per hour from 1st October while the minimum wage for 16 and 17 year olds will increase to £11.35 an hour, 90% of the adult rate.