Number of children who live in households where NO ONE has ever worked surges to over 200,000, new figures show

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The number of children who live in households where no one has ever worked has surged to 213,000, new figures today reveal.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that number leapt by 17,000 last year - the biggest increase in three years.

It will spark alarm in Downing Street as it shows that after years of pretty steady decline after a spike around the financial crash the numbers are picking up again. 

The ONS said this means that 1.7 per cent of children live in homes where no one has ever held down a job.  

Policy experts say children whose parents do not have a job can find it tougher to go on and do well at school, get a degree and find a job themselves.

The number of children who live in households where no one has ever worked has surged to 213,000, new figures today reveal. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that number leapt by 17,000 last year - the biggest increase in three years

And politicians will be concerned that the figures show that the number of children who do not have a role model at home in work is growing.

Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey said 'Children living in workless households are five times more likely to be in poverty and less likely to do well in school, compared to those growing up in households where all the adults are working. 

'That's why it's so important to help parents into work.

'It helps the individual too – it provides a wage, personal fulfillment, a social life and a career.

'With a record 3.1 million people moving into work since 2010, this Government is committed to helping people into employment and supporting them on their career path.'

Overall today's figures on workless households paint a mixed  picture - as it also shows that overall more homes have someone holding down a job.

The figures, released this morning, also reveal that 3 million people - one in ten of the population - live in workless households.

This is down slightly from the year before - slumping by 53,000 or 0.4 per cent.

Meanwhile, the number of working households has risen - up by 334,000, or 1.1 per cent, to stand at 12.3 million.

This means 58.8 per cent of all households had at least one member who was in work. 

Today's figures will spark alarm in Downing Street as it shows that after years of pretty steady decline after a spike around the financial crash the numbers are picking up again (pictured, Theresa May in Parliament today)

And the number of children in workless households - but where someone may have previously had a job - is at its lowest since comparable records began.

It fell by 8,000 to down to 1.3 million or 10.5 per cent of all children - although this still means that one in ten children are in jobless homes.   

The figures look at households where people are aged between 16 and 64 - so of working age.

They also show that there were 1.2 million lone parents in employment in the UK -down 7,000 on the previous year.