Thread by @dminnes

The UK's employment rate is now 76.0%, a slight dip but not far off the highest rate on record.
BUT #lowincomevoters feel as negative about their family's economic situation as during the 1992 and 2008 recessions jrf.org.uk/report/low-inc…
What's going on? (THREAD) (1/10)

First, the good: employment rates have risen fastest for groups historically excluded from the labour market (resolutionfoundation.org/app/uploads/20…): single parents, ethnic minorities, those with low qualifications. (2/10)

Families with someone in work are much less likely to be in poverty than families with no-one in work. So this should be great news for reducing poverty. (3/10)

Now the bad: more and more working families are being swept under by a powerful current of in-work poverty. 20 years ago, around 1 in 11 workers were in poverty. Now it's 1 in 8. (4/10)

The rise of in-work poverty means that there has been no change in the working age poverty rate despite the big increase in the employment rate. (5/10)

One reason the labour market isn't working for low income families is that many people are struggling to work enough hours to afford the essentials for their family. People with caring needs are held back by childcare and transport costs. (6/10)

There are more people who can't find as many hours of work as they'd like than before the recession. Average working hours have fallen fastest for low income working families over the last 10 years. (7/10)

Overall, the labour market recovery has been similar for low-income families as the average family, but rising housing costs and social security cuts have eaten into the amount families have left for buying essentials for their family. (8/10)

By making sure people have jobs with enough, stable hours, and by ensuring our social security system provides an anchor against the uncertainties of the labour market we can make work a route out of poverty. (9/10)

Low income voters are up for grabs like never before, but they don't feel like the economy is working for them. The party that offers credible solutions to reverse the tide of in-work poverty could have a crucial advantage at the next election. jrf.org.uk/report/low-inc… (10/10)