Low paid ‘falling behind on bills and skipping meals’ amid rising cost of living
Many workers say they regularly skip meals for financial reasons.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The rising cost of living is hitting low-paid workers harder than the pandemic as many fall behind on household bills and regularly skip meals, according to a new report.
Research by the Living Wage Foundation found that almost one in five workers have taken out a pay-day loan to cover essentials in the past year.
A survey of 1,700 workers earning less than the voluntary Real Living Wage found that almost two in five have fallen behind on household bills and a similar number have regularly skipped meals for financial reasons.
Almost a third of respondents said they had not been able to keep their homes warm this winter.
Our polling paints an unsettling picture for millions of people as rising living costs compound the challenges of two years of the pandemic
Women were more likely to have fallen behind on household bills and to be skipping meals, said the foundation.
Katherine Chapman, director of the Living Wage Foundation, said: “Our polling paints an unsettling picture for millions of people as rising living costs compound the challenges of two years of the pandemic.
“Almost two fifths of low-paid workers report having fallen behind on basic household bills, a third have had to skip meals and we’ve seen an increase in the use of pay-day loans, and all these trends have increased since 2020.
“There’s no better way for businesses to offer protection and reward for their staff than by joining over 9,000 Living Wage employers to ensure that everyone who works for them, including people that kept us going during the pandemic like cleaners and security guards, earn the real Living Wage.”
Dave Innes, head of economics at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation commented: “Work should provide a route out of poverty, but a combination of low pay, too few hours and insecure work means that many low-paid workers are at risk of real hardship as the cost of living rises.
“It is deeply worrying that so many low-paid workers are already skipping meals and taking on debt.
“With inflation projected to hit 7% in April, it’s clear that people on low incomes, who spend a higher proportion of their income on essentials, are at the sharpest end of the crisis.”
The report said the rising cost of living was hitting workers harder than the impact of the pandemic.