A report published last week confirms what was already known – that there is a strong connection between unemployment and poverty. Naturally, people who do not have an income, or whose income is limited, find it hard to maintain a decent standard of living and many of them fall below the poverty line.

In effect, a staggering 40.7 per cent of those considered to be poor do not have a job. Added to this, only 4.1 per cent of unemployed people are above the poverty line.

What was not stated when the report was published was that, if two from every five poor people are unemployed, another 60 per cent of below the poverty line have a job, which is apparently not enough to make ends meet. These also include widows, single mothers and people on the minimum wage.

It is also sad to note that 34 per cent of the poor have been unemployed for more than four years. Being without a job for a few months is already a tragedy – a personal one, apart from the obvious financial strain that this puts on the unemployed person and his family – so one cannot really imagine what it must feel like to be unemployed for so long.

Statistics provided by the National Statistics Office indicate that, in all, 15 per cent of the population is living below the poverty line.

There are many who think that poverty does not exist in Malta. Just because there are no beggars in the streets and we do not see people sleeping on benches in public places, we tend to believe that there are no poor people here.

But the study published last week, corroborated by NSO statistics, indicates otherwise. There are people who live in great difficulty, who do not have the luxuries most of us take for granted.

Added to this, living in poverty leads to other problems within the home. The fact that 17.7 per cent of household quarrels in poor families are related to financial problems as against the 4.5 per cent registered in non-poor homes is a clear sign of the stress these people have to endure.

Poor people are also less active in areas such as sport and culture, largely because it costs money to go to a gym or to the theatre. This means that these people do not even have the opportunity to relax.

Some of the measures suggested by respondents taking part in the survey are worth looking into. One of the proposals is that women’s part-time work should not be taxed when the husband is on the minimum wage. Another suggestion is that widows should not lose their pension if they work more than 10 hours a week.

These are both valid proposals and the government should study the possibility of introducing such measures. Of course, one has to take into consideration the fact that at present the country is passing through difficult times in financial terms but, on the other hand, the government must not forget its social conscience. These people need help.

Other problems that crop up in poverty circumstances, particularly when the breadwinner is unemployed for a long period, is the effect that this has on the children. Children from poor families tend to perceive that unemployment is an option to working.

This will have its consequences in the long-term because these children will grow up thinking that working, so essential to fulfil our existence, is not necessary.

In practical terms, apart from doing everything possible to create jobs for the unemployed, the government, with the help of society in general, must also work on the psychological aspect of unemployment.

As said earlier, these people need all the help they can get.