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Pay and working conditions in European countries

United Kingdom

Country: United Kingdom

Since Brexit, EU citizens need a visa to work in the UK unless they have status under the EU Settlement Scheme – Irish citizens are the exception. The National Living Wage is £12.71 an hour from April 2026, and a Skilled Worker visa usually requires a salary of at least £41,700. Find out where to look for a job, how to apply and which visa routes are open to you.

Minimum wage (from April 2026): £12.71 an hour from age 21 (National Living Wage), £10.85 at 18–20, £8.00 under 18 and for apprentices. Rates change on 1 April every year.
Working time: no more than 48 hours a week on average, normally averaged over 17 weeks – but you can sign an agreement with your employer to opt out. Under-18s: at most 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week.
Breaks: a 20-minute break if you work more than 6 hours a day, 11 hours’ rest between working days and 24 hours off each week (or 48 hours every two weeks).
Overtime: there is no legal right to extra pay – check your contract. But your average pay for all the hours you work must not fall below the minimum wage.
Holidays: almost all workers get 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year – 28 days if you work 5 days a week. Your employer may count bank holidays as part of it.
Contract: on your first day you must get a written statement of the main terms (pay, hours, holidays, place of work, probation); a wider statement (pensions, collective agreements, disciplinary rules) follows within 2 months.

published: 2014-09-04
last modification: 2026-10-03

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Key figures: Eurostat (population on 1 January 2026; unemployment and employment rates 2025; minimum wages July 2026); for the United Kingdom – Office for National Statistics; for Liechtenstein – national statistics. Country information: EURES – Living and working conditions, public employment services and the official government websites listed under each country. Rules, thresholds and amounts can change – check the official sources before you move. Updated: October 2026.

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