In-work poverty in London

This paper looks at in-work poverty in London between 1996 and 2023. It provides an overview of the links between working-age poverty and employment participation at the individual and household levels in the capital. All the data shown in the graphs or text of this paper can be found in an accompanying Excel data file.

Key findings from the report include:

• Poverty has changed. There are now more people in poverty in London who are in a working family than in a workless family. The reverse was true 30 years ago.
• Insecure forms of work such as part-time work and self-employment are linked to poverty.
• Ethnic minority workers and those with no educational qualifications are most likely to be working and in poverty.
• Working families with three or more children have seen their poverty rate increase sharply since the introduction of the two-child benefit cap on Universal Credit.
• Single parents have a high likelihood of in-work poverty, though the number of people in work and in poverty has also risen sharply among Londoners living as a couple.