HARD-UP workers in Mid-Scotland & Fife are struggling to put food on the table, according to the results of a recent survey.

The publication, released by the Poverty Alliance, reveals the stress of low pay in mid-Scotland and Fife with around one in five people polled admitting to regularly skipping meals to save money.

Many are also falling behind on bills, rent and mortgage payments, topping up their incomes with credit cards and loans, and borrowing to get by.

Among the Mid-Scotland & Fife poll sample, around a fifth (21 per cent) had fallen behind with household bills in the last year, 24 per cent had topped up their income with a credit card or loan and one in ten had fallen behind with their rent or mortgage payments.

There were 36 per cent who said financial stress was affecting their working life.

The survey showed that 46 per cent of those earning less than £14,000 are so stressed about their finances that it is negatively affecting their work life.

More than a third had fallen behind with household bills in the last year, 34 per cent were regularly skipping meals, 28 per cent had topped up their income with a credit card or loan, and more than one in five – 22 per cent – had fallen behind with their rent or mortgage payments.

The survey of 1,024 adults by Survation included people of all income brackets ranging from 18 to 64 years old.

Three quarters of respondents said more employers paying a real Living Wage of £8.45 an hour would raise Scots' living standards. In addition, eight out of 10 said being paid a real Living Wage would make them feel more valued at work, 74 per cent said they would be more committed to a job, and 66 per cent said they would be more productive at work.

Peter Kelly, director of The Poverty Alliance which promotes the real Living Wage in Scotland, said the research paints paints a worrying picture of low earners scraping by, struggling to pay basic bills, skipping meals and feeling a lot of stress.

"In 2017, in a country like Scotland, that should not be the case." he said.

"We know from other surveys that increasing pay levels from the national minimum wage to a real Living Wage – a pay rise of up to £2000 a year for full-time workers – brings huge benefits to employees and employers, in terms of increased retention and better staff morale.

"The real Living Wage of £8.45 an hour has the backing of three in four Scots in the survey, and it has cross-party support in Scotland. Our survey also found that more than a third of people felt a real Living Wage could tackle child poverty, and the vast majority felt it made for happier, more productive employees."

Although awareness of the real Living Wage was high among consumers, there is still work to be done, said Mr Kelly.

"Since we started the Living Wage accreditation programme in Scotland three years ago, we have signed up more than 780 employers," he added. In Scotland, we've had the fastest take-up of any region in the U.K. It's a voluntary programme and a simple process which we would urge employers of all size to consider.

"There is a long way to go to address in-work poverty for the estimated 467,000 low-paid people in our country . As this research shows, putting just a little bit more in people's pockets could have positive impacts both socially and economically."