GIVE CARERS £15 AN HOUR FOR A £7.7BN ECONOMY LIFT

TUC's plea to Whitehall

- BEN GLAZE

PAYING carers £15 an hour would boost the economy by £7.7billion, a study claims.

Nine out of 10 care workers earn less than £15 an hour and many are paid less than the Real Living Wage rate of £10.90, according to the Trades Union Congress.

Setting a £15 minimum wage would help fill the estimated 165,000 vacancies in the sector, bolstering social care and easing pressure on the NHS, analysts say.

The move would mean an annual full-time salary of at least £29,250, giving pay rises for 541,700 care staff in England. It would also cut gender and race pay gaps as women account for 79% of care workers and people from ethnic minorities 31%.