An Evaluation of the Living Wage: Identifying Pathways Out of In-Work Poverty
An Evaluation of the Living Wage: Identifying Pathways Out of In-Work Poverty
This article reports the results of a case study of the introduction of the living wage. Three employers in the City of York became Living Wage employers. Using data derived from a sample survey of their employees and qualitative interviews this paper explores what impact the receipt of the living wage had on poverty and deprivation. It found that not all living wage employees were income poor or deprived although those on living wage rates were more likely to be poor and deprived than those on slightly higher wages. The more important determinant of the employees’ living standards was the household they lived in and there were a high proportion of living wage employees living in multi-unit households. Also important were the number of earners in the household and the hours worked by the living wage employee. Lone parent families and single people appeared to be most vulnerable to poverty and deprivation. In addition, whether the employee took up their entitlement to in-work benefits was critical and, using benefit checks by welfare rights experts, it was found that some were not.
Living wage, deprivation, low pay, minimum wage, poverty
379-392
Swaffield, Joanna Kate
9e0d6fe1-3219-4d1c-8cff-52c7fac1568f
Snell, Carolyn Jane
aaa272a5-7a90-421a-aa93-478fe18a491f
Tunstall, Rebecca Katharine
9b481e72-d504-4969-8a5d-aa421a0f9190
Bradshaw, Jonathan Richard
03bced32-d2ba-444e-95c1-9ccefce2802d
1 July 2018
Swaffield, Joanna Kate
9e0d6fe1-3219-4d1c-8cff-52c7fac1568f
Snell, Carolyn Jane
aaa272a5-7a90-421a-aa93-478fe18a491f
Tunstall, Rebecca Katharine
9b481e72-d504-4969-8a5d-aa421a0f9190
Bradshaw, Jonathan Richard
03bced32-d2ba-444e-95c1-9ccefce2802d
Swaffield, Joanna Kate, Snell, Carolyn Jane, Tunstall, Rebecca Katharine and Bradshaw, Jonathan Richard
(2018)
An Evaluation of the Living Wage: Identifying Pathways Out of In-Work Poverty.
Social Policy and Society, 17 (3), .
(doi:10.1017/S1474746417000136).
Abstract
This article reports the results of a case study of the introduction of the living wage. Three employers in the City of York became Living Wage employers. Using data derived from a sample survey of their employees and qualitative interviews this paper explores what impact the receipt of the living wage had on poverty and deprivation. It found that not all living wage employees were income poor or deprived although those on living wage rates were more likely to be poor and deprived than those on slightly higher wages. The more important determinant of the employees’ living standards was the household they lived in and there were a high proportion of living wage employees living in multi-unit households. Also important were the number of earners in the household and the hours worked by the living wage employee. Lone parent families and single people appeared to be most vulnerable to poverty and deprivation. In addition, whether the employee took up their entitlement to in-work benefits was critical and, using benefit checks by welfare rights experts, it was found that some were not.
Text
AN_EVALUATION_OF_THE_LIVING_WAGEfinal3
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Published date: 1 July 2018
Additional Information:
© Cambridge University Press 2017. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details.
Keywords:
Living wage, deprivation, low pay, minimum wage, poverty
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 453654
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/453654
ISSN: 1474-7464
PURE UUID: a74141bd-4fcc-4884-b174-499085602c88
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 20 Jan 2022 17:44
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:09
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
Carolyn Jane Snell
Author:
Rebecca Katharine Tunstall
Author:
Jonathan Richard Bradshaw
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics