More couples working and better off, says DWP
More couples are in work and better off, according to new figures from the department for work and pensions (DWP).Figures show that the proportion of 'work-rich' couples (where both partners are working) has increased from 57 per cent in 1994/5 to 67 per cent in 2005/6, while the proportion of 'work-poor' couples (where both partners are unemployed or inactive) has fallen from 14 per cent to eight per cent for the same period. Incomes for all the groups, including those with children, were also fond to have increased by as much as £175 per week.The minister for employment and welfare reform, Caroline Flint, said: "This research shows how initiatives introduced over the last ten years - such as the national minimum wage, tax credits and the 'New Deal' programmes - have been hugely successful in helping more people into work so that they and their children can lead happier and healthier lives."Work is the best way out of poverty for parents and their children, which is why we have set out plans to help even more people access the 660,000 job vacancies that exist."
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