Moving in and out of in-work poverty in the UK: an analysis of transitions, trajectories and trigger events

Hick, Rod ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1218-0809 and Lanau, Alba 2018. Moving in and out of in-work poverty in the UK: an analysis of transitions, trajectories and trigger events. Journal of Social Policy 47 (4) , pp. 661-682. 10.1017/S0047279418000028

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Abstract

There is growing concern about the problem of in-work poverty in the UK. Despite this, the literature on in-work poverty remains small in comparison with that on low pay and, in particular, we know relatively little about how people move in and out of in-work poverty. This paper presents an analysis of in-work poverty transitions in the UK, and extends the literature in this field in a number of identified ways. The paper finds that that in-work poverty is more transitory than poverty amongst working-age adults more generally, and that the number of workers in the household is a particularly strong predictor of in-work poverty transitions. For most, in-work poverty is a temporary phenomenon, and most exits are by exiting poverty while remaining in work. However, our study finds that respondents who experience in-work poverty were three times more likely than non-poor workers to become workless, while one-quarter of respondents in workless, poor families who gained work entered in-work poverty. These findings demonstrate the limits to which work provides a route out of poverty, and points to the importance of trying to support positive transitions while minimising negative shocks faced by working poor families.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
ISSN:	0047-2794
Funders:	Nuffield Foundation
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	9 March 2018
Date of Acceptance:	5 January 2018
Last Modified:	28 Nov 2024 05:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/109754

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