Data on the amount of minimum wage workers in the island is not gathered by Treasury.
This is according to Treasury Minister Dr Alex Allinson, who confirmed that the handling of this data is left to ‘Statistics Isle of Man’, a group which is part of government and which publishes yearly ‘Earnings Survey’ reports.
Speaking during Tuesday’s House of Keys sitting, Dr Allinson said: ‘The annual report involves a sample of roughly 2,500 employees, and is carried out each year in order to identify the more detailed makeup of the earnings of island workers.
‘The latest report was issued in May 2023, while the latest figures show that in 2022, 4.5% of those in the Earners Survey were identified as working to the minimum wage.’
Dr Allinson explained that it is not necessary for Treasury itself to identify individuals who are in receipt of the national minimum wage because it’s ‘not required for income tax or national insurance purposes’.