In the past twelve months 18 year old Joshua has become a ‘father’ of three and joined the swelling ranks of Sydneysiders fighting for full time work.

He is one of thousands of Australians identified in an Anglicare report that uncovers the pressure put on families by Australia’s shrinking full-time job market.

Joshua’s last job was as a casual in a factory production line.

This lasted for just two months, but within days of being laid off, his mother suddenly died of a cerebral haemorrhage.

Just a teenager, Joshua was left jobless, totally broke and responsible for his sister Amanda, 11, and brothers, Jai, 9, and Lewis, 7.

Anglicare’s report reveals the persistent part-time employment that exacerbates Joshua’s problems is part of a national trend.

Amongst an estimated 424,000 families classed as living in poverty, nearly 119,000 have at least one parent in paid work.

Between 1997 and 2004 there was a dramatic increase in the number of poor families with the main breadwinner in part-time work.

This group grew from about 6 per cent of poor families to nearly 11 per cent during this eight-year period.

The report, titled "Prosperity for All? How low income families have fared in boom times' was carried out in conjunction with a number of agencies including ACOSS and the Brotherhood of St Laurence, and compiled by the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling at the University of Canberra.

The report blames the increase on the rapid increase in what is termed "work casualisation'.

During the 1990s industry moved towards more flexible employment practices and more and more people have been employed on a "casual' basis.

Anglicare has been shouldering the increasing burden of caring for families caught out by this ‘work casualisation’.

Each year, Family Support style programs at Penrith, Rooty Hill, Sadleir, Glebe, Marrickville and Liverpool help 750 families in need of intensive, ongoing assistance as they struggle to find full-time work.

Joshua is very grateful for the extensive support Anglicare has been able to offer.

Anglicare has provided food hampers, new clothes and shoes for his siblings, as well as furniture, a fridge and an oven.

Most of all, Joshua says he is grateful that Anglicare organised to give his mum a dignified funeral.