ESRI: Increasing female labour force participation can reduce poverty

The report said that decreasing poverty rates requires various policy measures, such as increasing female labour force participation and spending more on benefits targeting children

The study implemented simulations using SWITCH, the ESRI’s tax benefit model, to estimate an overall at-risk poverty rate of 14 per cent for 2022. 

Implementing a mix of policy measures, such as increasing female labour force participation and spending more on benefits targeting children would reduce the poverty rate, according to research published by the Economic Social Research Institute (ESRI).

The study commissioned by the Department of Social Protection examined methods of achieving the poverty target of 2% by 2025.