Work does not guarantee a route out of poverty – JRF study shows

Conducted by a team at Sheffield Hallam University, this qualitative study examined the experiences and perceptions of work among residents living in six deprived areas in the UK. The report highlights that many people in disadvantaged communities are trapped in a cycle of 'poor work/no work' that fails to lift them out of poverty.

While many of those interviewed saw the value in working, in terms of increased self-esteem and reducing isolation, they gained little financially. Researchers found that poverty-level pay can force those in employment to work excessive hours, harming the quality of their family life. For those out of work, this can act as a disincentive to leave benefits.

The research also highlights the tensions between work and parenting. Many low paid workers were unable to pay for childcare and their jobs lacked the flexibility to fulfil parenting responsibilities.

Professor Ian Cole, the project director, commented:

"Having followed the lives of a range of people living in deprived neighbourhoods, it becomes clear that work at any price, is not necessarily a route out of poverty. Many people have to juggle low pay and long or unsociable working hours with the demands of family life and they can barely make ends meet.

"There needs to be a stronger focus on the quality of work on offer. Government and employers should work together to improve terms and conditions so that work can break the cycle of poverty and support family life. Policy-makers also need to take into account the reality of how difficult it is to find work in areas that were struggling even before the recession hit."

The study also challenges official policy that training or education can act as a spring board to get people into the job market or help career progression. While government has focused on the important objective of raising skills, aptitude and motivation, people's experience showed that there was often little opportunity to progress in their current job, even when they had acquired new skills or qualifications.