Official figures released today show the proportion of children living in a household with no working adults has fallen in every region of Great Britain since 2010.



The figures, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), also show:

around 9 in 10 children live in households with at least one working adult
the number of children living in a household with no working adults is at a record low
A government report released earlier this year found that children living in workless families are significantly more disadvantaged and achieve poorer educational outcomes than other children, including those living in lower-income working families.

In comparison, three-quarters of children from workless families moved out of poverty when their parents found full-time work.

Employment Minister, Damian Hinds said:

These latest figures are further proof that the strength of the economy is benefitting every part of the country. Our welfare reforms are encouraging more people into work, improving families’ security and children’s life chances.

There’s more still to do and we will build further on this progress with the roll-out of Universal Credit, ensuring it always pays to be in work.

In May 2017, ONS confirmed that the number of workless households in the UK has fallen to a record low. Those figures showed that the number of children in workless households has fallen by 6% in just a year – equivalent to 90,000 children across the UK.

The latest employment figures (July 2017) show that there are a record 31.01 million people in work, and the unemployment rate (4.5%) is the lowest level since 1975.

Income inequality has fallen since 2010, and the proportion of people living in relative poverty is near its lowest level since the 1980s. In recent years the government has doubled free childcare, introduced Universal Credit and increased the National Living Wage and tax-free Personal Allowance.

Under Universal Credit, people are moving into work faster and staying in work longer than under the old system. Universal Credit is designed to mirror the way many people in work are paid, with budgeting advice and benefit advances available for anyone who needs extra help.