Fight against poverty: BILLA starts national fundraising campaign!

Fight against poverty: BILLA starts national fundraising campaign!

Poverty in Austria is reaching alarming levels and current statistics paint a bleak picture. Loud ÖGB In 2020, around 1.5 million people were at risk of poverty or exclusion. What is worrying is that these numbers do not yet take into account the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts warn that the number of those affected will increase, particularly among single parents and the “working poor”, i.e. people who do not earn enough to make ends meet despite working full-time. This raises the urgent question of a higher minimum wage of at least 1,700 euros in order to strengthen purchasing power and avert the dangers of poverty.

Active measures against poverty necessary

The current labor market situation is bleak. Many people, especially the long-term unemployed and older workers, have difficulty finding a new job. Current surveys reveal that 15 percent of the population expect their financial circumstances to worsen, compared to just eight percent in 2019. Almost a quarter of households are already experiencing declines in income, which increases the call for an active labor market policy, as Martina Lackner, ÖGB expert on social policy, describes it.

The challenges of poverty are often particularly hard on women and children. 385,000 children and young people in Austria are at risk of poverty or exclusion, and 77,000 live in extreme poverty. These alarming figures are supported by the precarious employment conditions of the “working poor”, who are often employed part-time or on fixed-term contracts. The situation calls for structural changes, such as the nationwide expansion of childcare facilities to make it easier for single parents to take up work and effectively combat poverty, while at the same time MyDistrict reports on local initiatives organized in Styria to raise awareness of these challenges.