The Ministry of Social Security and Labour, together with the Department of Statistics, conducted three interrelated representative surveys into the labour force, household budgets and benefit recipients. The labour force survey provides information on employment and employment opportunities. The survey sample comprised 3000 households, with a total of 8600 members over the age of 13. The most vulnerable groups are young families with two or more children, single pensioners, the long-term unemployed, the disabled, and those who have lost all hope of finding work. The household budget survey covered 4576 people who participated in a regular quarterly survey of household budgets.
Most poor persons see the government as the greatest cause of their poverty.
In addition to the labour force and household budget surveys, a survey on living conditions for social welfare recipients was also undertaken. A sample of 2500 individuals receiving social benefits was taken, distributed geographically based on the proportion of social welfare recipients in each city or region. According to the results of the survey, the living conditions for social welfare recipients are not significantly worse than the national average. Families living in very bad conditions are not numerous enough to affect the general picture within the sample. The surveys show that poverty has become long-term, leading to the social exclusion of many people.