Making a living: Social security, social exclusion and New Travellers

To combat social exclusion the government has introduced a number of welfare reforms with the central aim of integrating people who can, and ‘should’, work into the labour market. This study explores the ways in which the marginalised and controversial New Traveller community participates in the labour market.By focusing on the experiences of New Travellers, the report explores their patterns of paid work, benefit receipt and other sources of support, including that of community. In so doing, it provides insights into how New Travellers make a living and challenges the commonly held assumption that New Travellers are entirely dependent on the state.