Poverty Transitions in Non-remote Indigenous Households The Role of Labour Market and Household Dynamics
Main Article Content
Keywords
Indigenous, poverty, employment, household dynamics
Abstract
Using data from the HILDA Survey, this paper estimates year-to-year poverty entry and exit rates for Indigenous and non-Indigenous individuals living in non-remote areas of Australia. Indigenous Australians of working age have a higher probability of entering poverty and a lower probability of exiting than non-Indigenous people, suggesting that Indigenous poverty is likely to be more persistent and have a greater negative impact on well-being. Changes in household size trigger almost half of Indigenous poverty entries and 40% of exits. Indigenous people tend to live in more dynamic households than non-Indigenous people, and also have a greater likelihood of entering poverty and a smaller likelihood of exiting after experiencing changes in household size. The labour market also plays a prominent role in triggering poverty transitions for Indigenous people, while changes in private income, such as business and investment income, play a much smaller role, largely because Indigenous people get far less of their income from such sources.
JEL Codes: D19, J15, I32