France: In-Work Poor or Poor Due to Lack of Work?

In-work poverty (IWP) is relatively low in France compared to other European countries (see Chapter 2). Ponthieux (2009), shows that this is especially true when using the more restrictive Eurostat definition of the working poor. Definitions of working poverty differ according to how work is defined and how poverty is defined (see Chapter 1). Depending on how work is defined, the population analysed will differ, usually between in work and unemployed. This raises the question of whether the unemployed should be considered workers. According to the Eurostat definition, to be defined as working poor, you must be occupied for at least seven months of the year. This is much more restrictive than both the INSEE definition (active at least six months, and occupied at least one month) and the US federal agency, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) (active at least 27 weeks)1. The BLS definition is therefore close to what we usually call the active poor.