Alba Lanau , Centre d'Estudis DemogrĂ fics
Mariona Lozano , CED, Centre for Demographic Studies
Growing in-work poverty rates demonstrate that having a job is often not enough to avoid poverty. This paper studies the trajectories in and out of in-work poverty in Spain and the events associated with them. Spain has one of the highest rates of poor workers in Europe, and a high incidence of temporary, low-paid, and low-quality jobs. The study of in-work poverty complements the current literature on precarious labour markets by considering the interaction between precariousness, low salaries, and poverty. Through the analysis of the Spanish Living Conditions Survey (ECV) for 2015-2018 longitudinal files, we provide novel findings on work poverty dynamics. Our results suggest that in-work poverty in Spain is due to a combination of labour market vulnerability, both through temporary or low-hour contracts and self-employment, low wages, and insufficient family policies. Households with children are particularly exposed to in-work poverty. However, inflows and outflows from in-work poverty are mainly associated with labour market transitions, and less with demographic changes within the household. Furthermore, gaining an additional worker in the household does not necessarily mean moving out of in-work poverty. This finding highlights the difficulties of escaping poverty, particularly in households where only one adult works.
Presented in Session 2. Poverty, precariousness and job separations