The number of children in workless households in the UK has fallen to a 20-year low following the introduction of Tory welfare reforms, new figures released today show.
There were 1.3 million children living in workless families in the UK between July and September this year, the Office for National Statistics today said.
This is the equivalent to 10.4 per cent of children – the lowest proportion since public records began in 1996.
The fall comes after Iain Duncan Smith’s welfare reforms – designed to get more Britons into work – were introduced.
The proportion of children in the UK growing up in workless household has fallen to a 20 year low, new figures from the Office for National Statistics said
The suite of reforms, which include the benefit cap and the introduction of universal credit, were brought in by the Tories to ensure that work always pays and to tackle Britain ballooning benefits bill.
The proportion of children in workless families has steadily declined since July in 2015 – when it stood at 12.1 per cent.
Employment Minister Damian Hinds said: ‘We know that being in work is one of the best ways people can improve their family’s lives, and under Universal Credit people are moving into work faster and staying in work longer than the previous system.
‘Unemployment is currently at its lowest level in over 40 years, and three million more people have found work since 2010.
‘On UC people’s benefits reduce gradually as they take on more hours, ensuring that it always pays to be in work.’
The figures also reveal that the overall number of households where no-one is working has fallen by 49,000 over the past year to three million.
Employment Minister Damian Hinds welcomed the figures and said they show the roll out of universal credit is getting more Britons into work
The 0.3 per cent drop means 14.5 per cent of households now have no-one in employment, said the Office for National Statistics.
Of the 20.7 million households where at least one person is aged 16 to 64, everyone was in a job in 12 million (58 per cent) households.
This is an increase of 200,000 over the past 12 months, according to the figures.
Growth in the share of working households has been driven partly by increases in lone parents working.
Other data showed that the number of children in workless households has fallen by 41,000 to 1.3 million.
Separate figures released by the Department for Work and Pensions showed there were 1.9 million children living in a household where a parent or guardian was receiving out of work benefits in May 2016, a decrease of 76,000 since May 2015.