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Women have borne the brunt of the recession, according to the Fawcett Society, a female-specialist representative organisation.
Although the government has pushed an idea that the UK is coming out of recession, critics have shown that only those who already have the most are really benefitting.
The national minimum wage needs to be raised to £6.94 per hour, according to a government enquiry.
Yesterday business secretary Vince Cable announced an increase in the rate to £6.50 from October, 3% higher than the current £6.31.
Real earnings have fallen by 8% since the start of the recession in 2008 according to an influential survey of pay and work.
This shock finding was revealed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) today, helping to show why unemployed people often cannot afford to take the jobs they are offered.
It also shows why those in work can resent unemployed people - they have been getting poorer for so long that the idea of a benefit cap set at the level of average earnings appears to be fair.
Three-quarters of workers who were in low pay ten years ago are still stuck in it today, a report has found.
Thinktank the Resolution Foundation also showed that fewer than one-in-five had managed to escape and move up the career ladder.
Entry-level work provides a vital first step for unemployed people, and if it works as a trap the previously workless are likely to suffer more than most.
Pay in some regions of the UK has shrunk by more than 10% in real terms since the beginning of the economic downturn in 2007.
Analysis by the TUC has found that, when inflation is taken into account, the North West of England saw average wage drops of 10.6%, while the South West, West Midlands and Scottish economies have all seen falls of around 10%.
Every region of the UK saw wages falling in real terms, meaning unemployed people have struggled to be able to afford to get into jobs.
The government is to crack down on bad employers and ensure those who work for free get paid what they deserve.
167 interns and those on free work experience placements had wages paid last year after the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) intervened in their cases.
In total nearly £200,000 was reclaimed, and BIS is aiming to fight more cases this year.
It will publish a leaflet shortly advising interns on their rights, and will launch a social media campaign to back this up.
