Working Poor

The term working poor refers to people who work but belong to poor households. Poverty is defined on a household basis, with the poor being those that fall below an agreed poverty line, and employment is defined on an individual basis. The evidence from across the world is that while employment may provide a pathway out of poverty, it does not guarantee such. Many factors work to entrench the phenomenon of the working poor in society. Among these factors are low wages, low levels of education, large households, and households with persons of working age who are not economically active.