Minimum wage for young people training on-the-job

The Government is planning to cover teenage apprentices under the Minimum Wage Act, enabling them to earn at least $5.40 an hour.

Youth Affairs Minister Laila Harre says employers will no longer be allowed to pay lower wages when they offer employment that includes training towards a national qualification.

She says industries such as hairdressing and horticulture sometimes pay wages as low as one or two dollars an hour, although most businesses pay their trainees well above what would be required under the amended law.

She said bringing apprentices under the Minimum Wage Act was designed to encourage more young people into workplace training.