A report funded by the Department of Social Protection has found that the majority of families dependant on jobseekers benefit do not have an adequate income for a basic standard of living.
One of the authors of the report says because the minimum wage and social welfare payments are not linked to what is needed for a basic standard of living, poverty and social exclusion will continue in Ireland.
This report has based its findings on a minimum essential standard of living on the United Nations definition which describes it as one which meets a person's physical, psychological, spiritual and social needs.
The report looked at different types of households, including a single person living alone, a two-parent household with two children and a pensioner couple.
In the case of a family where both parents are unemployed and dependant of jobseekers benefits, most families have an inadequate income for a basic standard of living.
In families with two children where one parent is working full-time earning the minimum wage, or one parent is working full-time and one part-time earning the minimum wage, in most cases their income is also inadequate for what is defined as a basic standard of living.
The report was carried out by the policy institute at Trinity College and was funded by the Department of Social Protection.
One of the authors, Dr Michéal Collins, says its findings are a useful benchmark to assess the adequacy of welfare payments and the minimum wage and could be relevant when considering how households can manage their debts.
