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Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion in Northern Ireland 2009. Tom MacInnes and Peter Kenway New Policy Institute. First Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion in Northern Ireland published in 2006 Part of a series (UK, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales)
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Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion in Northern Ireland 2009 Tom MacInnes and Peter Kenway New Policy Institute
First Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion in Northern Ireland published in 2006 • Part of a series (UK, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales) • This ‘Findings’ updates that report, but looks in some new directions, especially regarding the recession • Full set of poverty graphs for Northern Ireland can be found on www.poverty.org.uk Background
. Defining “low income” • 60% of UK median in the same year • Measured here after housing costs (AHC) • Worth p.w: single adult - £115; lone parent with 2 children - £194, couple with 2 children - £277 • The choice between AHC and BHC matters as NI housing costs are lower than the GB average
Work, worklessness and unemployment • In year to August, the employment rate fell by 4.1% in NI, compared with 2.1% in GB • By contrast, the unemployment rate went up but by the same amount in GB and NI • Whereas the economic inactivity rate went up by 2.6% in NI and just 0.1% in GB • This could solidify the previous position - more people in NI lack work, but a greater proportion of these do not want work
Migrant workers • Represent a real change in NI since the last report • Eg in Dungannon, A8 migrants make up around 7% of the population • Migrants are not excluded, or poor, per se • But the same social security safety net does not exist for recent arrivals as the rest of the population
Final comments • No progress – or worse – on child poverty since middle years of the decade • Recession will make things worse • Benefit and tax credit increases in 2008 will make things better • So net effect could well be little change • How do we start making progress again?