Joseph Rowntree Foundation has launched a new report. It shows that the face of poverty in Wales has changed – but the proportion of people living in poverty stays the same at 23 per cent, and remains higher than the rate in England.
Monitoring poverty and social exclusion in Wales 2015 by the New Policy Institute shows that poverty among children and pensioners in Wales has gone down in the last ten years, but has risen among working-age adults and people in the private rented sector.
The research finds that:
- The proportion of people living in poverty in Wales has remained unchanged at 23 per cent – almost a quarter of the population, and still higher than the rate for England as a whole.
- Rates of child and pensioner poverty have gone down in the last ten years in Wales, but there are more adults of working age – and in the private rented sector – living in poverty.
- Low pay is a persistent problem in Wales, which has led to an increase in the number of people in working families experiencing poverty – 25 per cent of jobs are low paid.
JRF would like to see an economic strategy for Wales that includes increased productivity, better jobs that offer progression, and support for families to get back into work.
What do you think about these issues? Could you and your organisation play a role in alleviating poverty? Contact the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on Twitter, Facebook or by email.
