Excerpt from press release:

Economic growth and low or falling unemployment in many OECD countries have made inroads into poverty rates, but many individuals and families still live in conditions of deprivation with high attendant risks of social exclusion. Reducing the incidence and persistence of poverty is a goal shared by all OECD countries. But this requires careful analysis of its causes and co-ordination between policies to promote social welfare and policies designed to promote employment.

This is the principal message of the latest edition of the OECD's annual "Employment outlook", which documents patterns and causes of poverty in 14 developed countries - Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

[The report finds] that low earnings potential, for example due to lack of qualifications or valuable work experience, and the burden of family responsibilities are among the main causes of long-term poverty. For this reason, family-friendly policies such as quality childcare, maternity leave and flexible working-hours have a role to play in combating poverty, particularly by making it easier for single parents to enter the labour market.