On May 21, 2025, Save the Children released a comprehensive study titled _Cuentas que no salen.

Radiografía de la pobreza laboral en los hogares de España_, revealing that 17% of families with children in Spain are living in employment poverty.

This condition signifies that these households earn insufficient income from work to meet basic living needs.

The study identifies that single-parent households experience a notably higher incidence of poverty, with 32% affected, while large families face an even steeper rate at 35.5%.

The analysis highlights that having a job does not necessarily ensure the ability to afford essential living standards.

According to the findings, 11.7% of individuals without children in employment also fall under this poverty category.

In households where two adults reside but only one is employed, the poverty rate escalates to 21%.

This figure rises further when children are present: to 33% with one child, 38% with two, and potentially reaching up to 63% in homes with three or more children.

Conversely, when both adults are employed, the poverty rates show a significant decline, reported at 6.3% for families with one child, 8.9% for two children, and 14.7% for three or more.

The report suggests that the labor market paradox lies in the inadequacy of jobs as the primary means to escape poverty, as stated by Save the Children.

Key factors contributing to this employment poverty include insufficient wages, limited work hours, and intermittent employment patterns.

Notably, one in four individuals who worked at any point during the year did not earn enough to rise above the poverty line.

Furthermore, about 65% of those employed between 180 to 300 days annually manage to exceed the poverty threshold.

The recent increases in the minimum wage have theoretically assisted full-time workers in moving above the poverty line, according to the report.

However, disparities persist, particularly affecting youth and women.

Young individuals aged 16 to 29 are among the hardest hit, with only 12.5% having managed to surpass the poverty threshold after a year of work.

Many young workers, approximately one in four, engage in part-time work or have inconsistent employment, limiting their ability to achieve independence and access housing.

Gender disparities are evident in employment patterns, with women disproportionately represented in part-time jobs.

In Spain, approximately 806,400 men hold part-time positions, while over 2.25 million women do.

Among women working part-time, nearly 400,000 do so due to caregiving responsibilities, contrasting with just 30,000 men.

Women account for 74% of all part-time employment, further highlighting the gender-related challenges within the labor market.

Nationality also plays a significant role in employment poverty, as one in five individuals experiencing this issue is foreign-born, while only one in ten workers able to escape poverty is an immigrant.

In response to these findings, Save the Children recommends enhancing job quality, promoting flexible working hours, and improving work-life balance measures.

The organization also advocates for wider access to family benefits, including the introduction of a universal childcare allowance and enhancements to focused support, such as the Child Support Complement.

The study is based on data from the National Statistics Institute’s Living Conditions Survey (Encuesta de Condiciones de Vida) and the Continuous Sample of Labor Lives (Muestra Continua de Vidas Laborales), supplemented by interviews with families participating in Save the Children's programs in Spain.