UK’s households some of the least work intensive in the EU
THE UK has one of the highest rates of so-called low work intensity households out of the 27 members in the EU, data revealed yesterday.
In 2011, some 11.5 per cent of people under the age of 60 lived in households where the adults were employed at only 20 per cent or less of their capacity. This means they were either unemployed or working few hours – figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed. This was down from 13.1 per cent in 2010 – but still represented one of the highest rates in the EU, where the average is 10 per cent.
The finding came in a report comparing poverty and social exclusion levels across the UK and the rest of the EU. Those in the UK considered “at risk of poverty and social exclusion” fell to 22.7 per cent in 2011, beneath the EU average – this year 24.2 per cent – for the first time ever.
However, the UK still placed only 14th best out of the bloc’s members. And those saying they were unable to afford a holiday rose from 21.4 per cent in 2007 to 29.7 per cent in 2011.