Rise in working households in Shropshire
Thousands more households in Shropshire saw all their occupants find jobs in 2018, according to official figures – one of the largest rises in the UK.
Office for National Statistics data shows working households now account for a greater share of UK homes, an increase hailed as proof of the labour market's "resilience".
Some 12.5 million households, 60 per cent of overall homes, had all working age occupants aged 16 or over in employment in the three months to September 2019.
The latest figures for Shropshire – which cover 2018 – showed that 60,700 households were classed as working in the area, 5,799 more than the year before.
Working households accounted for 66 per cent of Shropshire's homes in 2018.
Just under 60 per cent of homes in Telford and Wrekin were classed as working – about 32,000 households – slightly higher than the UK-wide average of 58 per cent that year.
Across the West Midlands, this figure was 55 per cent.
Commenting on the increase in working households nationwide, Matt Weston, managing director of recruiters Robert Half, said: "The growing number of households with at least one adult in employment is a clear mark of the continued resilience of the UK labour market.
"As the demand for skilled talent continues to rise above supply, businesses are prioritising the need to offer greater flexibility and work-life balance to attract the right skills.
"This includes exploring flexible schedules, remote working, job sharing and part-time roles."
The number of households in which no adults were in work fell to a record low across the country in the three months to September, at 2.8 million, or 13.5 per cent of UK homes.
A further 5.6 million, or 26.9 per cent, had a mix of at least one working and one workless adult.
Laura Gardiner, research director at the Resolution Foundation, welcomed the figures.
She said: "This hasn't happened by chance – it's the result of concerted policy action from successive governments, and shows that properly targeted policies can make a difference.
"However, while worklessness is no longer the poverty scourge it once was, an increasing number of children in working households are living in poverty."
Tackling this "new poverty" challenge should be the Government's priority, she added.
