Working Scots Going Without Food as They Wait for Payday

A sizable proportion of Scots who are in work have had to go without food at some point over the last year due to a lack of cash as they await their next payday.

Research carried out on behalf of Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) recently found that close to half (47 per cent) of all employed Scots ran out of money at some point within the past year.  

Of those people, more than a third said that their lack of money left them unable to buy food in advance of payday.

The figures highlight the extent of the financial difficulties that a great many employed men and women across Scotland are currently experiencing.

CAS is battling against the notion that people who claim state benefits are in any way ‘skivers’ and said that it wants to see as many people as possible claiming whatever money they’re entitled to, whether they’re in work or not.

The charity’s latest research has been released to coincide with an announcement expected from the Scottish government this week about an income supplement that could soon be helping significant numbers of working Scots to get by and cover their costs of living.

“Our network means we have a footprint in every community in Scotland and we are seeing too many people really struggling, even people in work,” commented CAS’ chief executive Derek Mitchell.

“The research data we publish today exposes the extent of that problem. Nearly half of Scottish workers occasionally run out of money before payday, and one third of those who do have had to go without food as a result.” 

Mr Mitchell went on to emphasise the idea that anyone who’s struggling to make ends meet on a monthly basis can and should speak to a CAS advisor to find out what benefits they might be entitled to and if they should be paying less money out each month on utilities or as council tax.

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