UK Employment Law Changes 2022 – What You Need to Know
UK Employment Law Changes 2022 – What You Need to Know
Employee Handbook and Employment Contracts for 2022
National Living Wage (workers 23 and over) and National Minimum Wage
The National Living Wage (for workers aged 23 and over) is set to rise to £9.50 an hour from April 2022, an increase of 6.6%.
| 23 and over | 21 to 22 | 18 to 20 | Under 18 | Apprentice | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2021 (current rate) | £8.91 | £8.36 | £6.56 | £4.62 | £4.30 |
| April 2022 | £9.50 | £9.18 | £6.83 | £4.81 | £4.81 |
Social Care Levy
On 7 September 2021 the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced plans to provide an additional £12 billion per year for health and social care on average over the next three years, to be funded by a new, UK-wide 1.25 per cent Health and Social Care Levy (the Levy), to be introduced from April 2022. The Levy will apply to employees and employers liable for Class 1 NICs and self-employed individuals liable for Class 4 NICs. In 2022/23 the Levy will be collected by means of an increase in the current rates of NICs by 1.25 percentage points. In 2023/24 a formal legal surcharge of 1.25 per cent will replace the increase in NICs rates and apply to those working above State Pension age, while the underlying NICs rates will return to their previous level.
Extra Bank Holiday 2022.
There will be an extra Bank Holiday to mark The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022. The May Bank Holiday Weekend will be moved to Thursday 2 June and an additional Bank Holiday on Friday 3 June will see a four-day weekend to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Mandatory Vaccination Covid 19
Anyone who works inside a Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered care home in England must be fully vaccinated against coronavirus (COVID-19), unless they’re exempt. This became law on 11 November 2021. It only applies to CQC-registered care homes that provide accommodation for people needing nursing or personal care. The law applies to most people who enter the care home for work. For more details of affected workers and exemptions visit the ACAS website. A government consultation on whether to extend compulsory vaccination to frontline NHS staff and the wider social care sector ended in November. The government’s response has not yet been published but there is a likelihood that mandatory vaccinations may be extended to these sectors too.
HMRC has confirmed the 2022-23 rates for statutory pay.
- The first six weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP) remain the same, at 90% of the employee’s average weekly earnings (AWE). The statutory weekly rate for all weeks after this will be the lower of 90% of AWE or £156.66.
- Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP), Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) and Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay (SPBP) will all share the same weekly rate of £156.66 or 90% of AWE, whichever is lower.
- These changes will apply from 3 April 2022.
- The weekly rate for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) will be £99.35, this will apply from 6 April 2022.
Employee Handbook and Contracts Updated for 2022
End of UK Employment Law Changes 2022 – What You Need to Know
