The Evolution of the Working Poor Phenomenon in Italy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21635901 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Chiara Mussida (0000-0002-9338-9005, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-24 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Family and Economic Issues (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1058-0476 • E-ISSN: 1573-3475 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10834-026-10082-y |
| OpenAlex | W7140180786 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 43 |
This study explores the phenomenon of in-work poverty in Italy using four waves of the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions survey (2007, 2013, 2019, and 2022). We adopt a pooled probit framework to identify individual, household, and labour market factors associated with the probability of being a member of the working poor category. We then use an Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition to assess whether changes over time were driven by shifts in observable characteristics or by changes in coefficients. Results show that higher education, home ownership, and larger household size reduce the risk of in-work poverty, while foreign citizenship, single-person households, and living in the south increase it. The decomposition suggests that the 2007–2013 subperiod, encompassing the Great Recession, experienced the sharpest rise in in-work poverty, mainly due to compositional changes, while structural factors partly mitigated this increase. The overall rise in in-work poverty in the long-term (2007–2022) largely reflects the adjustments that originated during and after the Great Recession, whereas the COVID-19 crisis caused limited further deterioration, suggesting that emergency policy responses may have contained the short-term impact. Policy efforts should therefore focus on supporting vulnerable workers and strengthening family and social protection systems, to enhance labour market resilience and reduce in-work poverty in Italy
European union · Member states · Phenomenon · Poverty · Probit model · Psychological resilience · Social policy · Social protection · Working poor · Employment and Welfare Studies · International Labor and Employment Law · Work-Family Balance Challenges
Decomposition Methods in Economics
Male-Female Wage Differentials in Urban Labor Markets
The Blinder–Oaxaca Decomposition for Linear Regression Models
Wage Discrimination
Why are Some Workers Poor? The Mechanisms that Produce Working Poverty in a Comparative Perspective
Introduction
Poverty and Deprivation in Europe
Social Foundations of Postindustrial Economies
Under Pressure
Inequality
A state-of-the-art review of working poverty in advanced economies
Labour market reforms in Italy
In-work poverty in Western Europe. A longitudinal perspective
Individual and household in-work poverty in Europe
The European World of Temporary Employment
The impact of in-work benefits on work incentives and poverty in four European countries
Birth order matters
Collective Labor Supply and Welfare
Welfare States, Labour Market Institutions and the Working Poor
Are the in-work poor more disadvantaged in urban areas? An analysis of housing affordability in Italy
Bargaining and Distribution in Marriage
What Are the Benefits of Having More Female Leaders? Evidence from the Use of Part-Time Work in Italy
More Than Just Nickels and Dimes
Challenges and Contradictions in the 'Normalising' of Precarious Work
Labour Market Flexibilization and its Consequences in Italy
Selective Flexicurity' in Segmented Labour Markets
How Low-Paid Employees Avoid Poverty
Who are the In-Work Poor? A Study of the Profile and Income Mobility Among the In-Work Poor in Sweden from 1987 to 2016
Being Working Poor or Feeling Working Poor? The Role of Work Intensity and Job Stability for Subjective Poverty
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |