The New Economics Foundation have looked into the basis of this rhetoric. They write that politicians and commentators would have us believe that only people in paid jobs are hard-working and make a valuable contribution to society. People claiming out-of-work benefits are lazy and worthless; they choose a life of leisure and get ‘something for nothing’.

This Mythbuster reveals the reality behind the rhetoric. Only a tiny minority of claimants are able but unwilling to work. A much bigger share of the social security budget goes towards subsidising low wages through in-work benefits. Far from ‘skiving’, most people who are not in paid work are making an extremely valuable contribution through a range of unpaid activities – without which the whole of our society, including the formal economy, would collapse.

See their report at http://bit.ly/12UkgEZ