Jobseeker' Benefit inadequate to meet basic standard of living

[Taxi Driver]

The 540 figure is for two working parents with two kids - I assume they are counting child care costs?

It is not for two working parents. The figures are for a 2+2 family and range from €430 to €650. This does include nearly €30 savings though.



Excluding housing are the benefits to a 2 parent 2 child family much less than €430 a week?

[mistercrabs]

Children need to be fed, clothed, and looked after in a myriad of ways that cost money. Then you have to pay rent/mortgage for a place big enough for a family of four. You have to pay utilities, various stealth taxes and fixed charges, etc.

I'd add that the study followed the UN's criteria for a basic standard of living, which covers the entire world, not just the pampered west.

Firstly, that tally of 540 does not include rent, which will be either entirely or mostly paid for with rent allowance. We now live in a world where, apparently, a family of four will spend 1200 euros a year on clothing to meet a basic standard of living. Has the whole world gone completely mad? You can dress children from Penney's for a fraction of that. The only serious expense is school uniforms. There's no way food needs to cost 130 euros a week. And half of those other expenses are slightly nuts to be honest. How do you spend 100 euros a week on socializing, when you're both unemployed?

Western society is seriously on the brink of destroying itself, if it thinks it can sustain that kind of lifestyle for masses of unproductive citizens, that it can sustain huge pension payments for pensioners for twenty years after retirement, and if it thinks it can run ever more insane deficits year after year without making cuts.

[eoghanacht]

Or they can come up with viable labour market activation measures that actually enables people make the transition from welfare to work.

You mean have a job creation strategy?

Thats not the governments remit. They are there to act in the best interests of the ECB and to oversee the socialisation of private gamblers debts.

Job strategy jaysus!

[seabhcan]

It is not for two working parents. The figures are for a 2+2 family and range from €430 to €650. This does include nearly €30 savings though.



Excluding housing are the benefits to a 2 parent 2 child family much less than €430 a week?

34 euro on clothes per week? 1768/year? Where are these people shopping?

33 on household goods excluding food? Whats that?

Insurance? 2236/year? What are they insuring?

1850/year on household fuel? They should have their boiler checked.

3224/year on "Social Inc & Participation" ??

[H.R. Haldeman]

This isn't a story about low incomes.

It's a story about high prices.

[seabhcan]

This isn't a story about low incomes.

It's a story about high prices.

I am beginning to think its a story about Trinity researchers living in their own world.

[butterbox]

Transport €50/ week, communications (Internet and phone) €30 /week and savings €30 /week. These are hardly life or death expenitures. And when was saving €30 /week a living standard.

[Taxi Driver]

Firstly, that tally of 540 does not include rent, which will be either entirely or mostly paid for with rent allowance. We now live in a world where, apparently, a family of four will spend 1200 euros a year on clothing to meet a basic standard of living. Has the whole world gone completely mad? You can dress children from Penney's for a fraction of that. The only serious expense is school uniforms. There's no way food needs to cost 130 euros a week. And half of those other expenses are slightly nuts to be honest. How do you spend 100 euros a week on socializing, when you're both unemployed?

Western society is seriously on the brink of destroying itself, if it thinks it can sustain that kind of lifestyle for masses of unproductive citizens, that it can sustain huge pension payments for pensioners for twenty years after retirement, and if it thinks it can run ever more insane deficits year after year without making cuts.

A family of four with 2 second level students is estimated to spend nearly €1,600 a year on clothes and nearly a similar amount on communications. The €2,300 annual bill for insurance also seems a bit high. How much insurance would a family of four need?

And there is €5,500 for "social inclusion and participation". I haven't see a copy of the report but it would be useful to know what is included under that heading.

[paulp]

Firstly, that tally of 540 does not include rent, which will be either entirely or mostly paid for with rent allowance. We now live in a world where, apparently, a family of four will spend 1200 euros a year on clothing to meet a basic standard of living. Has the whole world gone completely mad? You can dress children from Penney's for a fraction of that. The only serious expense is school uniforms. There's no way food needs to cost 130 euros a week. And half of those other expenses are slightly nuts to be honest. How do you spend 100 euros a week on socializing, when you're both unemployed?

Western society is seriously on the brink of destroying itself, if it thinks it can sustain that kind of lifestyle for masses of unproductive citizens, that it can sustain huge pension payments for pensioners for twenty years after retirement, and if it thinks it can run ever more insane deficits year after year without making cuts.

How many pairs of footware would need to be purchased per year for a 10 year old boy, in your opinion? And how much would that cost? Bear in mind that the 15 Euro pennys pair will last around 6-8 weeks.

[paulp]

Transport €50/ week, communications (Internet and phone) €30 /week and savings €30 /week. These are hardly life or death expenitures. And when was saving €30 /week a living standard.

The report doesn't say that they are life or death expenditures.
It does say

‘A minimum essential standard of living is one which meets a person’s physical, psychological, spiritual and social needs’ (UN definition of an adequate lifestyle)