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People in work are generally not in a high poverty risk group, and indeed those who move into work from unemployment often escape poverty at the same time. Recognition of the importance of paid work in combating poverty has thus been at the centre of the Labour government’s anti-poverty strategy. However there are growing numbers of people in jobs that are low-paid, part-time, insecure and with limited scope for advancement.  This project focuses on people with low hourly pay and explores the relationship between low pay and household poverty for individuals and households over time. There are various strategies that people with low hourly pay can adopt in order to boost their weekly wages, including working long hours, claiming benefits and tax credits, living with employed partners, and living with other household members in work. This research, using data from the British Household Panel Survey 1991 to 2003, will examine the extent and persistence of individual low pay over time, the incidence of household poverty among the low paid, and the effectiveness of the various strategies to avoid poverty adopted by those in low-paid work.

  

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