Workers 'head 20% of households in poverty'

Having a job is no guarantee of escaping the poverty trap, with almost 20 per cent of households living below the poverty line headed by someone in employment, CORI claims.

In a policy briefing published today, the Conference of Religious in Ireland (CORI) Justice Commission calls on the Government to tackle to problems faced by the low-paid, many of whom cannot afford to sustain their families.

Figures from the CSO show a steady rate of fall in unemployment figures. The number of people with jobs grew by over 330,000 (25 per cent) between 1996 and 2002 while the number of persons unemployed, including those looking for their first regular job, fell by 67,000. The unemployment rate has dropped from 8.7 per cent in 1998 to 4.6 per cent this year.

According to CORI's Fr Sean Healy, Government progress of recent years on job creation has been accompanied by a new range of problems, including the rise in long-term and youth unemployment, the substantial numbers living in poverty in households headed by a person with a job, the treatment of migrant workers and the persistence of high unemployment rates among people with disabilities.

"The Government wants to increase the labour-force participation of Irish adults. At the same time it wants families to care for their members," he said. "There is some way to go before these two elements of Government policy can be reconciled."

Fr Healy said there are concerns over the growth in youth unemployment, with  86 per cent of the 17,500 additional unemployed in the period May to August 2003 aged less than 25. He also notes that only 40 per cent of the 271,000 people with disabilities are in employment.

The Government policy on workers with permits leads to many feeling they are in "bonded servitude", while asylum seekers, who are barred from working, find themselves blamed for costing the State money. Carers and those in voluntary employment are also being undervalued in society, Fr Healy added.

"Far more is required from Government if the continued exclusion of some of Ireland's most vulnerable people is to be addressed adequately," he said.