In the Spring Statement 2019, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced that the apprenticeship reforms set out in the Autumn Budget 2018 will now be introduced a year early. From 1 April 2019, the co-investment rate for non-levy employers will be cut by a half from 10% to 5%. In addition, from the same date, levy-paying employers will be able to share a greater portion of their levy funds across their supply chains, with the maximum amount rising from 10% to 25%.

The Chancellor also confirmed that the government has commissioned a review of the latest international evidence on the impact of minimum wages, to inform future national living wage policy after 2020.