Charity research highlights concerning levels of money worries among working households

Ahead of tomorrow’s publication of the Working and workless households in the UK by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), national poverty charity Turn2us is raising concerns about the numbers of people who are working and worried about their finances.

A survey of over 1,700 of those seeking the charity’s help who are employed, or living in a household with someone who is employed, has highlighted the extent to which they worry about money. Asked how often they worried about their household’s finances, 59 per cent said very frequently, 23 per cent said frequently, 13 per cent said occasionally, while 3 per cent said rarely and 2 per cent said never.

Turn2us has said that the high numbers of those who are living in a household where someone is employed, yet still frequently or very frequently worried about money, is an important indicator of how financially insecure many working households are. The charity says that this insecurity is likely to increase as pressures such as inflation and slow wage growth put continued pressure on household budgets.

Turn2us says it is crucial that working households are aware of the support available for them. It urges those in working households to seek help if they are struggling to make ends meet and not to automatically resort to using credit or choosing between heating their homes or eating.

Simon Hopkins, Chief Executive of Turn2us, said: “People often think that having a job means that you will not have to worry about paying for basic living costs. Unfortunately that is not the case as many of those seeking our help are struggling to make ends meet. Around half the people in the UK who are living in poverty are actually in work – that speaks for itself.

“Another misconception is that those in work can’t receive welfare benefits or charitable grants despite there being a range of support for those who are working and struggling financially. There is a lot of help available that people still don’t know about. It’s therefore vital that they are not only aware of that help but that they actively seek it as well.”

Turn2us has also emphasised the importance of anyone struggling with accessing benefits to seek its help at Turn2us.org.uk. It says that it can help people understand and access what they are entitled to.