Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Tweet[IWS] BLS: A PROFILE of the WORKING POOR 2005 [25 October 2007]
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
U.S. Department of Labor
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
September 2007
Report 1001
A Profile of the Working Poor, 2005 [25 October 2007]
http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpswp2005.pdf
[full-text, 14 pages]
In 2005, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 37.0 million
people, or 12.6 percent of the population, lived at or below
the official poverty threshold. The majority of the Nation's
poor were children and adults who had not participated in the
labor force during the year. About 7.7 million of this group
were classified as "working poor"persons who, during the
year, spent 27 weeks or more in the labor force (working or
looking for work), but whose incomes still fell below the official
poverty level. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics began
measuring the working poor in 1987 and has since reported
annually about the demographic and labor force characteristics
of this group. In 2005, persons 16 years and older who were in
the labor force for 27 weeks or more living below poverty
numbered 5.4 percentlittle changed from 5.6 percent the
prior year. The 2005 working-poor rate was 0.7 percentage
point higher than its most recent low point of 4.7 percent in
2000. (See tables A and 1 and chart 1.) Additional highlights
from the 2005 data include:
Full-time workers were less likely to be among the working
poor than were part-time workers. About 3.9 percent of the
118.7 million full-time workers were classified as working poor,
compared with 11.6 percent of the 23.0 million part-time
workers.
Although working full-time (35 or more hours per week)
substantially lowers a person's likelihood of being poor, nearly
6 of every 10 of the working poor who held a job during 2005
usually worked full-time.
As workers achieve higher levels of education, their
likelihood of being classified as working poor decreases. In
2005, the number of college graduates who were in the labor
force for at least 27 weeks counted among the working poor
was 1.7 percent, compared with 14.1 percent of those with
less than a high school diploma.
Among families with at least one member in the labor
force for 27 weeks or more, those families including children
under 18 years old were about four times more likely than
those without children to live in poverty or to be among the
working poor.
This report presents data on the relationship between labor
force activity and poverty in 2005 for workers and their families.
The specific income thresholds used to determine poverty
status differed depending on whether the individuals were
living with family members, with nonrelatives, or alone. For
those living with family members, the poverty threshold was
determined by the family's total income; for individuals not
living in families, personal income was used as the determinant.
The data were collected in the 2006 Annual Social and
Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey. For
a more detailed description of the source of the data and an
explanation of the concepts and definitions used in this report,
see the Technical Note.
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
U.S. Department of Labor
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
September 2007
Report 1001
A Profile of the Working Poor, 2005 [25 October 2007]
http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpswp2005.pdf
[full-text, 14 pages]
In 2005, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 37.0 million
people, or 12.6 percent of the population, lived at or below
the official poverty threshold. The majority of the Nation's
poor were children and adults who had not participated in the
labor force during the year. About 7.7 million of this group
were classified as "working poor"persons who, during the
year, spent 27 weeks or more in the labor force (working or
looking for work), but whose incomes still fell below the official
poverty level. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics began
measuring the working poor in 1987 and has since reported
annually about the demographic and labor force characteristics
of this group. In 2005, persons 16 years and older who were in
the labor force for 27 weeks or more living below poverty
numbered 5.4 percentlittle changed from 5.6 percent the
prior year. The 2005 working-poor rate was 0.7 percentage
point higher than its most recent low point of 4.7 percent in
2000. (See tables A and 1 and chart 1.) Additional highlights
from the 2005 data include:
Full-time workers were less likely to be among the working
poor than were part-time workers. About 3.9 percent of the
118.7 million full-time workers were classified as working poor,
compared with 11.6 percent of the 23.0 million part-time
workers.
Although working full-time (35 or more hours per week)
substantially lowers a person's likelihood of being poor, nearly
6 of every 10 of the working poor who held a job during 2005
usually worked full-time.
As workers achieve higher levels of education, their
likelihood of being classified as working poor decreases. In
2005, the number of college graduates who were in the labor
force for at least 27 weeks counted among the working poor
was 1.7 percent, compared with 14.1 percent of those with
less than a high school diploma.
Among families with at least one member in the labor
force for 27 weeks or more, those families including children
under 18 years old were about four times more likely than
those without children to live in poverty or to be among the
working poor.
This report presents data on the relationship between labor
force activity and poverty in 2005 for workers and their families.
The specific income thresholds used to determine poverty
status differed depending on whether the individuals were
living with family members, with nonrelatives, or alone. For
those living with family members, the poverty threshold was
determined by the family's total income; for individuals not
living in families, personal income was used as the determinant.
The data were collected in the 2006 Annual Social and
Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey. For
a more detailed description of the source of the data and an
explanation of the concepts and definitions used in this report,
see the Technical Note.
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
# posted by SBasefsky : 8:05 AM
