Scotland’s college employers have moved swiftly to apply a near-7% pay increase for staff covered by the Real Living Wage.

It comes after the Living Wage Foundation announced last month that the UK rate would rise from £12.60 to £13.45 an hour – an uplift of 6.7%. 

The move means colleges are honouring their pledge to implement the increase from 1 November each year – well ahead of the 1 May national deadline for Living Wage employers.

As a result, directly employed college staff on the Real Living Wage and a 35-hour week have seen their annual salaries rise from £22,932 to £24,479.

Confirmation that colleges have introduced the new hourly rate also coincides with Living Wage Week, which begins today (10 November 2025).

John Anderson, Acting Director of College Employers Scotland, said:

“It’s great that college staff will benefit early from the latest Real Living Wage increase – months before the national deadline. This is giving those employees most affected by inflation the earnings boost they need. 

“The speedy implementation of the new hourly rate is another strong demonstration of the college sector’s commitment to their staff and Fair Work principles. It also supports the world-class learning environments our students deserve.”