The proportion of people on social assistance is decreasing in the canton of Neuchâtel. This is what official statistics, both federal and cantonal, show. According to figures from the Federal Statistical Office, the canton finds itself in a paradoxical position: it records a significant drop in the population benefiting from social assistance, but still ranks among the regions most affected by the phenomenon. The rate was 5.9% at the end of 2023 – the second worst result after Geneva, but a figure that reflects a downward trend in recent years. In 2017, 7.5% of Neuchâtel residents were on social assistance.
A reality which is the subject of a more detailed analysis by the cantonal authorities. Like every two years, the State of Neuchâtel releases its Social Report. The 2023 version was published Wednesday morning.
The authors of the analysis confirm this erosion of recourse to social assistance since 2017. A development to be compared to that of the unemployment rate, in decline during the same period. In 2023, 10,340 people will have benefited from financial support to meet their needs. As a general rule, minors, foreigners, divorcees and people without professional training are most exposed to the risk of depending on this last safety net, even more so when these factors are combined.
Growth does not benefit everyone
Nearly 15% of the Neuchâtel population lives below the relative poverty line, observes the report. A rather stable proportion in recent years, and which is below the national average, which was 15.6% according to 2022 figures.
The Social Report scrutinizes all the different forms of financial assistance. Thus, while the social assistance rate falls, requests for subsidies for health insurance premiums increase. A development which reflects the erosion of purchasing power caused by the international situation, and the measures taken by the Council of State to deal with this situation. At the same time, institutions such as the Protestant Social Center or Caritas are also seeing that requests for help from the most fragile segments of the population are increasing.
Taking a step back, the Social Action Service draws up an observation: the improvement in the socio-economic situation in the canton of Neuchâtel in recent years has primarily benefited individuals with an annual income greater than 30,000 francs. As for the others, the dynamic does not seem to significantly improve their living conditions. /comm-jhi
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