A THIRD of all working Australians continue to risk poverty due to pandemic according to recent feedback.
New Good Shepherd research, commissioned for Anti-Poverty Week 2021, has revealed that more than a third of all working Australians continued to be negatively financially impacted in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Research covering April 2020 to June 2021 shows 2021 figures with only a marginal drop (34 percent) from 2020 (41 percent), showing that the pandemic has now had a continued impact putting Australians at risk of poverty.
More than half of those 4.7M Australians whose employment was negatively impacted were already on low incomes. This group includes an over representation of recently arrived people, women, young people, unskilled or semi-skilled workers, and sole traders/small business owners.
Of these newly vulnerable households, around 66 percent had been affected by a reduction in working hours, almost 50 percent had seen a business slow or stop completely, and 40 percent had been stood down from work for a period. Nearly 60 percent of this newly vulnerable group who had lost their job were still without employment.
Shepparton Family and Financial Services (SFFS) Emergency Relief Department has seen an increase of client’s presenting for the first time due to the impacts of the pandemic. Many with complex issues around housing, affordable rentals, healthy food supply and utilities.
Anti-Poverty week highlights these issues annually however SFFS concerns are vulnerable households may be entrenched for some time yet. For emergency relief, financial counselling, NILs (No Interest Loans) please ring the office in Shepparton on 5831 7755 for further assistance.
