​Work and Poverty in Ireland, 2004 to 2010

This research draws on data from the CSO Survey on Income and Living Conditions from 2004 to 2010 to provide new insights into the relationship between work, unemployment and poverty. This relationship has even greater importance now since the onset of the economic recession and the consequent rise in unemployment. The study examines two key indicators of work: jobless households and in-work poverty. These indicators provide novel insights into the role of work in preventing poverty in Irish households.

This study considers the following issues:

• why the rate of jobless households is so high in Ireland
• who is living in jobless households
• the relationship between jobless households and poverty
• the significance of in-work poverty
• the policy implications of the research

The research is an output of the Department of Social Protection / Economic and Social Research Institute research programme on monitoring poverty trends under the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion 2007-2016.