The number claiming universal credit has more than doubled since the start of the pandemic to at least 2.3 million.
The TUC said the 1.3 million increase in working universal credit claimants had been caused by households being pushed into financial hardship during Covid.
Low-paid workers, mostly those with young children, are able to top up their incomes by applying for universal credit, and about 40% of all claimants are in work.
The TUC said 12% of workers told researchers that they expected to struggle to afford the basics in the next six months, while 22% said they would find it hard to afford “more than the basics”. The analysis found that a fifth of workers have Christmas debts to pay off this year, a number that rises to more than a quarter for workers with children of school age.
Frances O’Grady, the TUC’s general secretary, said ministers need to urgently raise universal credit payments to 80% of the living wage – which is set to rise to £9.50 in April.
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