Government figures have revealed that 336,000 people, 1.3 per cent of the population, hold jobs which pay less than the national minimum wage.
But the percentage of 16 to 17-year-olds who are paid less than the minimum wage is 4.3 per cent.
People who work part-time are also three times more likely to receive less than the minimum wage.
The figures were revealed in the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) which relates to spring 2006.
But the ONS has admitted that ASHE cannot take account of the legal exceptions to the minimum wage such as offsetting accommodation and apprentice or training rates.
While taking the restrictions on the figures into account, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: “At a time when the government is reviewing funding priorities, this is a stark reminder that enforcement of the minimum wage must be properly resourced.
“What these figures don’t measure is the cash-in-hand economy and cracking down on this illegal employment must also be a government priority.”
