MOSCOW, November 24 (Sputnik) — Over 13 million people lived in poverty in the United Kingdom last year, a report issued by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) said on Monday.
"There were around 13.3 million people in poverty on the contemporary measure in 2012/13. 3.7 million were children, 8.0 million were working-age adults and 1.6 million were pensioners. There were 14.6 million people in poverty using the fixed threshold; 4.1 million children, 8.7 million working-age adults and 1.8 million pensioners, an additional 1.3 million in total," the Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion 2014 report published on the JRF website.
According to the report, the unemployment in the United Kingdom fell by 300,000 people.
However, over 1.4 million adults, working in a part-time job, failed to find full-time jobs. As a result, among those employed in 2013 around two thirds were forced to seek jobs that paid below the UK living wage, which allows to cover the basic costs of living and stands at £ 7.85 per hour ($12.3).
The report also shows the average full-time hourly pay for men fell from £13.90 ($21.7) to £12.90 ($20.2), while for women it dropped from £10.80 ($16.9) to £10.30 ($16.1).
Julia Unwin, JRF chief executive, has expressed concern, saying there are still many people trying to "make ends meet" despite the ongoing economic recovery.
"A comprehensive strategy is needed to tackle poverty in the UK. It must tackle the root causes of poverty, such as low pay and the high cost of essentials," Julia Unwin added, as cited by JRF on its website.
Since this October, the National Minimum Wage has risen by three percent, now standing at £6.50 ($10.1) for people aged 21 and over.
