Pobreza laboral y desempleo en España 2009-2019

One of the objectives set out in the Europe 2020 Strategy was to reduce, in the period 2009-2019, 20 million of those registered as being at risk of poverty and social exclusion. Spain’s com- mitment was to reduce between 1,400,000 and 1,500,000 people in the same period. Furthermore, poverty has traditionally been related to unemployment or situations of inactivity and although they undoubtedly continue to be risk factors for poverty, at present, having a job does not prevent one from falling into the risk of poverty or social exclusion. This paper, through a review of the literature, aims to contextualize the situation of poverty and social exclusion in Spain and to deepen the analysis of working poverty. The conclusions suggest that Spain has not only failed to meet its commitment to reduce people at risk of poverty and exclusion, but is also above the starting point and the European average. Unemployment has a strong impact on poverty in terms of households where all members are unemployed. The number of working poor is higher than the number of unemployed poor. Finally, the self-employed have a higher risk of in-work poverty than employed people.