[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/11008\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EPoverty trap: some jobs are no protection against destitution \u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor Lineke Smit, poverty in Europe is brought home to her almost every day at work.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShe is a member of the Netherlands branch of the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN), a non-governmental organisation seeking to curb social exclusion across the continent.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWorking poor\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018If you haven\u2019t lived through poverty, you can\u2019t know what it\u2019s like and how deeply it touches you,\u2019 Smit said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBeing in work is no guarantee of staying out of poverty.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESmit was part of a research project that received EU funding to examine the phenomenon of \u201cin-work poverty\u201d and make policy recommendations to combat it. Called\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/870619#:~:text=The%20project%20Working%20and%20Yet,or%20below%20the%20poverty%20line.\u0022\u003EWorking, Yet Poor\u003C\/a\u003E, or WorkYP, the project ended in January 2023 after three years.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESmit helped give a voice to people enduring poverty through EAPN, which lobbies at the EU and national levels for people facing social exclusion and increasingly enables direct participation by them. Along with other national representatives, she relayed people\u2019s economic hardships to the researchers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESmit described a woman bringing up four children and working in home care. The woman was divorced, alimony payments were frequently late and her job didn\u2019t involve enough hours to make ends meet.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESmit said it\u2019s a familiar story of long-term stress and spiralling health troubles \u2013 a daily grind that leaves no chance for better education to improve income potential or for a social life.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018There is a lot of talk about the working poor, but also a lot of denial,\u2019 she said. \u2018It is often seen as an individual problem.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWarning signs\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy definition,\u0026nbsp;in-work poverty describes employed people who live in a household with a disposable income that\u2019s less than 60% of the national median wage.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2017, almost 10% of the EU\u2019s working population \u2013 or roughly 20.5 million people \u2013 faced the risk of poverty, according to a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/social\/main.jsp?catId=89\u0026amp;furtherNews=yes\u0026amp;langId=en\u0026amp;newsId=9378\u0022\u003Ereport\u003C\/a\u003E by the European Social Policy Network.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EWe find huge differences in standards of living and poverty across the Member States.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProfessor Rune Halvorsen, EUROSHIP\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWarning signs include poorly heated homes, mounting debts and an inability to pay for modern-living basics \u2013 from healthy meals and new clothes when needed to an internet connection and occasional social events. Another warning sign is a lack of money to cover unexpected expenses.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo get a clearer picture of in-work poverty and devise ways to tackle it, WorkYP analysed seven European countries with different social and legal systems: Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers pinpointed four main types of employment most often linked to in-work poverty: low-wage jobs, self-employment, flexible-work contracts and casual, zero-hour contracts \u2013 also known as gig-economy contracts.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn these four groups, as many as 20% to 25% of people are likely to face in-work poverty.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHunt for answers\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENo single policy measure can tackle the phenomenon because it is deeply rooted in particular pockets of society, according to Dr Luca Ratti, an associate professor of European and comparative labour law at the University of Luxembourg.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Poverty is not a phenomenon that affects people horizontally across the labour market,\u2019 said Ratti, who led WorkYP. \u2018It is clustered within specific groups of workers and we name these as vulnerable and underrepresented people.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of the project\u2019s findings was that family benefits have a direct effect on reducing in-work poverty \u2013 more so than minimum wages. That\u2019s because the bigger the family, the more resources it has to withstand economic downturns, according to Ratti.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe project produced\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/workingyetpoor.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Main-findings-and-policy-proposals_brochure.pdf\u0022\u003Erecommendations\u003C\/a\u003E for combatting in-work poverty in all EU countries. The proposed measures range from adapting social-security systems so they take account of non-standard work to ensuring adequate wages.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile Europeans rank among the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/1072951\/wealth-per-adult-europe-by-country\/#:~:text=In%20Europe%2C%20the%20overall%20average,the%20world%2C%20after%20North%20America.\u0022\u003Ewealthiest people\u003C\/a\u003E in the world, second only to inhabitants of North America, more than\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/eurostat\/statistics-explained\/index.php?title=Living_conditions_in_Europe_-_income_distribution_and_income_inequality\u0026amp;oldid=528159\u0022\u003E20%\u003C\/a\u003E of the EU population is at risk of poverty or social exclusion. One fifth of Europe\u2019s children face poverty.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EVulnerable groups were made even more so as a result of the economic slump triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and the subsequent surge in inflation tied to higher energy and food prices.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We find huge differences in standards of living and poverty across the Member States, mainly between the east and south of Europe on one hand and the west and north on the other,\u2019 said Rune Halvorsen, a professor of social policy at Oslo Metropolitan University in Norway.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe European Commission has set a target of reducing the number of people living in poverty by at least 15\u0026nbsp;million \u2013 including at least 5\u0026nbsp;million children \u2013 by\u0026nbsp;2030. The goal is enshrined in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/social\/main.jsp?catId=1226\u0026amp;langId=en\u0022\u003EEuropean Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan\u003C\/a\u003E from March 2021.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENew European legislation on\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.consilium.europa.eu\/en\/policies\/adequate-minimum-wages\/\u0022\u003Eadequate minimum wages\u003C\/a\u003E is also part of the EU answer.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E200 individual cases\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHalvorsen led an EU-funded research project that drew lessons from 200 people facing economic hardship in seven European countries: Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Spain and the UK.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s really the test bed for the efficacy of public policies.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Luca Ratti, Working, Yet Poor\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECalled\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/870698\u0022\u003EEUROSHIP\u003C\/a\u003E, the project wrapped up in July 2023 after three and a half years.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt focused on three groups: young adults moving from education to employment; workers on insecure contracts and with families to care for; and elderly, disabled people with health troubles.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn speaking to people living with poverty, the researchers found an absence of the work-life balance that most others broadly achieve. The participants, whose identities the project is obliged to keep anonymous, had little time, money or energy for anything beyond doing their jobs or raising their families.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe phenomenon was particularly marked for ethnic-minority mothers of migrant background, especially single ones. Social support can ease severe deprivation but rarely erase it, according to EUROSHIP.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHalvorsen and\u0026nbsp;Ratti said the new European law on minimum wages highlights the role that the EU can play in an area where policy responsibility still lies overwhelmingly with national governments.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EOpportunities ahead\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHalvorsen said that the EU should widen its focus to help people outside the labour market by seeking to ensure a minimum income.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe said that minimum-income schemes in many European countries are falling behind average-income growth, diminishing their value.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor example, in Hungary the minimum-income protection is less than 40% of the median income and even in relatively wealthy Norway recipients of minimum-income benefits face an appreciable risk of poverty, according to Halvorsen.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The EU can provide an additional layer of security and protection for its citizens,\u2019 he said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERatti said policymakers across Europe need the insights provided by EU research in the field.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Political discussions tend to oversimplify answers,\u2019 he said. \u2018There must be an overall strategy from a national perspective, but also from a European perspective.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERatti suggested the EU and its Member States should consider further measures to help people in poverty including \u2018targeted\u2019 social-security transfers, universal-income support and continuous reskilling.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe said future research must tackle how people fall into in-work poverty and how they get out of it, saying the credibility of social-welfare regimes in Europe is at stake.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It\u2019s really the test bed for the efficacy of public policies,\u2019 Ratti said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch in this article was funded by the EU. The views of the interviewees don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. 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