The latest Joseph Rountree Foundation (2025) UK Poverty 2025 Report clearly shows that work doesn’t protect families from poverty.
In particular, the report highlights the “shockingly high” number of children living in poverty in working families:
- 50% of children in families where at least one adult is (but not all adults are) in work live in poverty.
Working-age adults are also impacted:
- Two-thirds (68%) of working-age adults living in poverty are in a household where at least one adult works.
Responding to these figures, TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “Every worker deserves to earn a decent living. But many working households are struggling to keep their heads above water.
“This is unacceptable. Working people should be able to put food on the table for their families and keep their children warm during the winter.
“After 14 years of Tory chaos and stagnation, we urgently need to boost living standards.
“That’s why this government’s Make Work Pay agenda is so crucial for millions of families up and down the country.
“More money in working people’s pockets means more spend on our high streets – that’s good for workers and good for local economies.
“And the Employment Rights Bill will mean more good and secure jobs – boosting productivity for businesses and giving workers more control over their lives and better chances to progress.
“Better work is crucial for ending child poverty, but decent social security matters too. The Government must remove the two-child benefit cap which is keeping too many children in working households in poverty.”
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