The lived experience of family Income Supplement (FIS) recipients

This study seeks to understand the experiences of recipients of the family income supplement (FIS) who are employed in precarious and low paid jobs. It also aims to identify additional supports that may be required to promote low-income families capacities for resilience over time including sustained labour force participation and enhanced earnings. FIS is a means tested in work and Child Income Support introduced to Ireland in 1984. FIS aims to provide a financial incentive for low-income families to work and to qualify applicants must be engaged in paid employment, defined by Department of Social Protection as not less than 19 hours per week or 38 hours per fortnight to last a minimum of three months. Biographical interviews were carried out with thirty FIS recipients in the NUTSIII Midland region. The interviews were analysed using a thematic framework approach. Timelines collected at the time of interview-facilitated comparison across biographies. Participants discussed precarious work in terms of broken plans and educational attainment. Although FIS enabled families to cope with low-paid work, respondents were employed in precarious working environments that acted as a barrier towards progressing into higher paid employment. Participants maintained that, for them, the recession was ongoing. Labour force participation was discussed in terms of moral rationalities about balancing low-paid employment with caring responsibilities. This research suggests that additional supports may be necessary to address the continuing challenges associated with balancing work and care for low-paid working parents and other carers. It also reveals the extent to which poor employer practices, including the use of zero hour and temporary contracts, particularly in the retail and construction industries, continue to impact on low-paid families capacities for resilience.