RECORD numbers of kids are now living in working households – led by big hikes in cities from Birmingham to Leeds.
Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd hailed one of Britain’s “great untold stories” yesterday as official figures revealed the milestone.
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The Department of Work and Pensions said there were now 11.5 million children in a household where at least one adult is working – up 200,000 on last year and a staggering 1.6 million on 2010.
Overall, nine in ten kids now live in a home where at least one parent draws a wage. In other statistics that reveal the scale of the jobs boom that has taken place since the credit crisis.
- Children living in workless households decreased by 93,000 to 1.2 million or 9.3 per cent of all children.
- The lone parent employment rate is at a record high, with 100,000 more lone parents in a job since 2010.
Experts put the rise down to the economic recovery over the past decade and the sharp increase in women returning to the jobs market.
The Work and Pensions Secretary told The Sun the biggest increases in kids in working homes came in areas such as Tower Hamlets in east London – 47 per cent – Birmingham and Liverpool.
And she said that even Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn should welcome the figures – as there are 9,000 more families were in work in his own borough of Islington, north London.
‘ASTONISHING ACHIEVEMENT’
Ms Rudd told The Sun: “It’s an astonishing achievement”.
“No child should be condemned to a life on benefits, or to grow up thinking they’re not worthy or capable of making their own career,” she said.
“So it’s fantastic to see our record employment benefiting not just workers, but their families too, with fewer children than ever before living in a workless home.”
Official figures two weeks ago revealed employment hit 32.81 million in the three months to June – up 115,000.
The increase was fuelled by higher numbers of working women.
Yesterday’s figures revealed there are 32,286 more households with at least one adult in a job in Tower Hamlets than 2010 – up nearly 50 per cent.
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Liverpool has seen a 18 per cent rise – or 19,710 households. There has been a 36 per cent rise in Newham, east London, 22 per cent in Manchester and an 11 per cent rise in Glasgow.
The number of working households in total has climbed to 56 per cent from 50 per cent 1996. And just 9 per cent are ‘workless’ – down from 15.1 per cent in 1996.
Great news for families
By Amber Rudd
NO CHILD should be condemned to a life on benefits or to grow up thinking they’re not worthy of making their own career.
So it’s fantastic to see our record employment benefiting not just workers, but their families too, with fewer children than ever before living in a workless home.
As someone who was a single parent I understand the challenges, but evidence shows kids with a parent in work are far more likely to grow up to be in work.
And behind every stat is a person whose life is improved by a regular pay packet, the camaraderie of the workplace and the satisfaction of being a positive role model.
