The UK’s relative poverty rate among working households hit a new high of 17% before the coronavirus pandemic took hold in early 2020, the IPPR (Institute for Public Policy Research) said. Two-earner families where one partner works full-time and one works part-time are also increasingly being pulled into poverty, according to the findings. Working poverty rates are particularly high in London, Wales and the North of England, according to the IPPR, which describes itself as a progressive think tank. The IPPR said the economy’s over-dependence on house price growth is a key factor pushing up poverty, as more families rely on renting privately. That should look beyond headline incomes to the true costs and obstacles people face when struggling to make work pay.

Source: Irish Independent May 25, 2021 23:03 UTC