£2-an-hour jobs on Esther McVey-backed website blamed on 'human error'
1 min read
A jobs website championed by Esther McVey as a resource for young people to find summer work has been advertising roles offering as little as £2 an hour.
The "Find A Job" website was found listing jobs paying way below the minimum wage, which currently stands at £4.20 per hour for under 18s, and £5.90 per hour for 18 to 20-year-olds. Apprentices should be paid an hourly minimum rate of £3.70.
Among the low-paying jobs was the role of spa therapist with a hotel group, offering around £4.05 an hour, with the benefit of free meals and staff discounts. One company advertised for a sous chef in a care home, offering just £2 an hour.
A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions blamed “human error” for the listings and said they had been “removed straight away” after being flagged by The Times.
The spokesperson said: "All employers must pay the national minimum wage and jobs listed on Find A Job must do the same.
"We immediately removed these job adverts as soon as we were made aware."
Ms McVey, who is the work and pensions secretary, had hailed the website as a way to "restore the merits that summer jobs can bring" in a column for the Daily Telegraph.
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