Transitions into and out of Household Joblessness, 2004 to 2014

Household joblessness refers to adults and children living in households where no adult works. As well as a labour market concern, it is strongly associated with long-term welfare dependency and poverty.

This new study measures the movement into and out of household joblessness between calendar quarters during a time of rapid economic change. It also investigates the profile of those in persistent joblessness, and identifies the factors associated with becoming a working household. These are important issues from a policy perspective, so that the needs of all those in jobless households can be addressed and that the numbers affected continue to fall as employment increases.

The report is an output of the Department’s research programme with the ESRI for the Analysis and Measurement of Poverty and Social Exclusion (AMPSE). The authors are Dorothy Watson, Bertrand Maître and Helen Russell.

The findings were presented at an ESRI research seminar on 17th September, 2015.