Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-wg55d Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-03T17:02:45.526Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Moving In and Out of In-work Poverty in the UK: An Analysis of Transitions, Trajectories and Trigger Events

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 February 2018

ROD HICK  and
ALBA LANAU
ROD HICK
Affiliation:
School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, South Glamorgan, CF10 3WT, Wales, UK email: hickr@cardiff.ac.uk
ALBA LANAU
Affiliation:
School of Policy Studies, University of Bristol, 8 Priory Rd, Bristol BS8 1TZ email: Alba.Lanau@bristol.ac.uk
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

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 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 are 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.

Type
Article
Information
Journal of Social Policy , Volume 47 , Issue 4 , October 2018 , pp. 661 - 682
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alcock, P. (2004), ‘The influence of dynamic perspectives on poverty analysis and anti-poverty policy in the UK’, Journal of Social Policy, 33, 3, pp. 395–416.Google Scholar
Bane, M.J. and Ellwood, D.T. (1986), ‘Slipping into and out of poverty: The dynamics of spells’, Journal of Human Resources, 21, 1, pp. 1–23.Google Scholar
Barnes, M., Lord, C. and Chanfreau, J. (2015), Child Poverty Transitions: Exploring the route into and out of child poverty, 2009 – 2012, London, Department for Work and Pensions.Google Scholar
Crettaz, E. (2011), Fighting Working Poverty in Post-Industrial Economies: Causes, trade-offs and policy solutions, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar.Google Scholar
Crettaz, E. and Bonoli, G. (2011), ‘Worlds of working poverty: National variations and mechanisms’, in Fraser, N., Gutiérrez, R., and Peña-Casas, R. (eds), Working Poverty in Europe: A comparative approach, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Davies, R. and Lloyd-Williams, H. (2014), ‘An investigation of the potential for Wales-level analysis of the British Household Panel Survey and Understanding Society: an illustrative analysis of poverty dynamics in Wales’, Merthyr Tydfil, Welsh Government.Google Scholar
Eurofound (2011), ‘Working poor in Europe’, Dublin, European Foundation for the Improvement of Work and Living Conditions.Google Scholar
Eurofound (2017), ‘In-work poverty in the EU’, Dublin, European Foundation for the Improvement of Work and Living Conditions.Google Scholar
Fouarge, D. and Layte, R. (2005), Welfare regimes and poverty dynamics: the duration and recurrence of poverty spells in Europe. Journal of Social Policy, 34 (3), 407–426.Google Scholar
Gutiérrez, R., Ibáñez, M. and Tejero, A. (2011), ‘Mobility and persistence of in-work poverty’, in Fraser, N., Gutiérrez, R., and Peña-Casas, R. (eds), Working Poverty in Europe: A comparative approach, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Grzegorzewska, M. and Thévenot, C. (2014), ‘Working-age poverty: what policies help people finding a job and getting out of poverty’, in European Commission, Employment and Social Developments in Europe 2013, Luxembourg, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities’.Google Scholar
Halleröd, B., Ekbrand, H. and Bengtsson, M. (2015), ‘In-work poverty and labour market trajectories: Poverty risks among the working population in 22 European countries’, Journal of European Social Policy, pp. 1–17.Google Scholar
Hick, R. and Lanau, A. (2017), ‘In-work poverty in the UK: Problem, policy analysis and platform for action’, Cardiff, Cardiff University.Google Scholar
Hick, R. (2015), ‘Three perspectives on the mismatch between measures of material poverty’, British Journal of Sociology, 66, 1, pp. 163–172.Google Scholar
Jenkins, S. (2011), Changing Fortunes: Income mobility and poverty dynamics in Britain, Oxford, Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Knies, G. (2015)‚ ‘Understanding Society: The UK Household Longitudinal Study, Waves 1–5 User Guide’, https://www.understandingsociety.ac.uk/documentation/mainstage, last accessed 20th October 2016.Google Scholar
Layte, R., Whelan, C. T., Maître, B. and Nolan, B. (2001), “Explaining Levels of Deprivation in the European Union”, Acta Sociologica, 44, 2, pp. 105–121.Google Scholar
Layte, R. and Whelan, C. T. (2003), ‘Moving in and out of poverty: The impact of welfare regimes on poverty dynamics in the EU’, European Societies, 5, 2, pp. 167–191.Google Scholar
MacInnes, T., Aldridge, H., Bushe, S., Kenway, P. and Tinson, A. (2013), ‘Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion 2013’, York, JRF.Google Scholar
Marx, I. and Nolan, B. (2000), ‘Low pay and household poverty’, in Gregory, M., Salverda, W. and Bazen, S. (eds), Labour Market Inequalities: Problems and policies of low-wage employment in international perspective, Oxford, Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Office for National Statistics (2015), ‘Poverty and employment transitions in the UK and EU: 2007 – 2012’, Newport, ONS.Google Scholar
Tinson, A., Ayrton, C., Barker, K., Born, T.B., Aldridge, H. and Kenway, P. (2016), Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion 2016, York, JRF & NPI.Google Scholar
Polin, V. and Raitano, M. (2014), ‘Poverty transitions and trigger events across EU groups and countries: Evidence from EU-SILC’, Journal of Social Policy, 43, 4, pp. 745–772.Google Scholar
Vaalavuo, M. (2015), ‘Poverty dynamics in Europe: from what to why’, Directorate General of Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion working paper 03/2015, Luxembourg, Publications Office of the European Union.Google Scholar
Van Kerm, P. and Pi Alperin, M. N. (2011), ‘Inequality, Growth and Mobility the Inter-Temporal Distribution of Income in European Countries 2003–2007’, Economic Modelling, 35, pp. 931–39.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Hick and Lanau supplementary material

Hick and Lanau supplementary material 1

Download Hick and Lanau supplementary material(File)
File 32.9 KB