Montreal's working poor on the rise, study finds

For a growing number of Montrealers, having a job doesn't translate into rising above poverty.

One in four peoplebetween the ages of 18 and 64 in Greater Montrealwhich includes Montreal, Laval and the North and South Shorescan be counted amongthe "working poor," according to a study released Monday.

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Thestudy, a joint effort byCentraideof Greater Montreal and theInstitutnational de la recherchescientifique(INRS),foundthat between 2001 and 2012, the number of those who count themselves among the working poor hasgrown by more than 30 per cent.

In 2001, there were about 91,000 people in the region who fell under that category. By 2012, there were about126,000.

There is no official definition for the term "working poor," and so thestudy's authorsdefined those who fall into that category as follows:

• Aged between 18 to 64.
• Have a household revenue below Statistics Canada'slow income measure.
• Earnat least $3,000 annually.
• Livealone or with a spouse (as opposed to with parents or other family members).
• Are notstudents.

Who are the working poor?

The study found that 38 per cent of the working poor are single parents, mainly women.

Recent immigrants are five times more likely than non-immigrants to be part of the group.

The highest rates of working poor arefound in the following Montreal neighbourhoods:

• Parc-Extension:30.7 per cent.
• Cte-des-Neiges: 18.9 per cent.
• Little Burgundy: 18.5 per cent.
• Pointe-Saint-Charles: 18.2 per cent.
• Saint-Michel: 17.6 per cent.
• Saint-Henri: 17.5 per cent.

"In Montreal, there is an 11-year discrepancy in life expectancy between some rich and poor neighbourhoods,"saidLili-AnnaPeresa,president and executive director ofCentraideof Greater Montreal, in a statement.

"That is why it is so important to intervene as early as possible with children and their families in order to break the cycle of poverty,"

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