Work Hours Volatility and Child Poverty: The Potential Mitigating Role of Safety Net Programs.

This article examines the relationship between intra-year work-hour volatility and child poverty in the United States, using nationally representative data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) spanning 2004 to 2019. It finds that over one in four households experiencing the highest work-hour instability live below the poverty line, with Black and Hispanic children and those in single-mother households facing significantly greater volatility. The study assesses the buffering effects of government income-support programs—categorized as cash transfers, in-kind benefits (such as SNAP and housing subsidies), and tax transfers—and concludes that in-kind benefits are most effective at mitigating income declines due to unstable work hours, followed by tax and cash transfers. These buffering effects are particularly pronounced for Black children and children in single-mother families, while Hispanic children experience higher poverty rates and less effective buffering. The findings highlight the importance of near-cash programs and suggest policy considerations for improving income stability among socioeconomically disadvantaged families facing labor market instability.