In mid-2018 a partnership comprising the Human Rights Commission (HRC), the Ministry of Social Development (MSD), and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) began to scope research that would explore the extent of ‘working poor’, the risks they face and strategies that could provide a response to the issues identified. The working poor are households that cannot escape hardship despite containing individual(s) who are employed. They are a separate group from those who are low-paid workers (although there is some overlap between the two groups).
BAF is keen to understand the scope of working poor families within Taranaki and we are framing a research project to deliver better understanding for our region. The objective of the research is to 1) define ‘in-work poverty’ (or ‘the working poor’) in the Taranaki context, 2) measure its prevalence, 3) profile those who are affected based on demographics and available employment-related characteristics and assess risk of in-work poverty, 4) develop suggested strategies that could respond to the findings. The research findings will therefore serve as a platform for informing future action.