Workless household rate ‘has increased’

The number of people of working-age who belong to workless households has increased compared to a year ago, according to newly released figures.

A survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics revealed that the incidences of those living in such circumstances rose to 4.8 million in April to June, an increase of 500,000 from the same month in 2008.

This suggests that families already struggling with debt management could fall deeper into debt. The study also emphasised that the number of workless households had reached 3.3 million, an increase of 240,000 on a year ago.

Furthermore, the rate was highest for lone parent families, at 40.4 per cent, with one person households following at 30.1 per cent.

A money advice coordinator from the UK Insolvency Helpline recently stated that a rise in home repossessions is inevitable in the near future, although lender feedback suggests that they do not wish to take back properties for fear of bad publicity.

By Sarah Adie