WORKERS in the North West are among the lowest earners in the UK, new figures show.

Data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that 12.3 per cent of the UK’s bottom 10 per cent of earners are from the north west - more than anywhere else.

The bottom one per cent of earners in the region took home an average of just £5 an hour, while the top 10 per cent earned £47.92.

The current national minimum wage for a worker under 18 is £3.72, £5.03 for those aged 18 to21, and the wage for people over the age of 21 is £6.31.

The ONS report also found that, on average, people who started their career in the 90s were 40 per cent better paid than those in the 70s.