Big worries have been raised over the number of employees in north-east Fife earning less than the living wage.
New research from the Trade Union Congress has found more than a third (34.4%) of employees in the area are affected the highest percentage in the whole of Scotland.
The living wage is calculated at £7.85 an hour or £9.15 an hour in London and is the amount deemed necessary to meet the basic cost of living in the UK.
It compares with a minimum wage of £6.50 an hour (£5.13 for workers aged 18 to 20).
Local councillors said they worried over the shock figures. A report to the council’s North East Area Committee also showed one-third of households in the East Neuk are in fuel poverty.
St Andrews Labour member Brian Thomson said: “It is often assumed that north-east Fife is an affluent area but these figures show a low-wage economy is operating.
“It is clear there is a massive gulf between the most affluent in north-east Fife and those who are stuck on low incomes.
“It is terrible that so many people living in north-east Fife are living in poverty or dependent on in-work benefits.
“The minimum wage is no longer sufficient to cover living costs and a living wage can lift families out of poverty and reduce their reliance on public spending or private debt.”
On fuel poverty, Liberal Democrat East Neuk councillor Elizabeth Riches said it was a “shocking figure”.
She added: “We should be looking at the structure of housing and insulation.”
Independent Cupar councillor Bryan Poole said: “There is probably a lot more inequality in north-east Fife than is publicly visible.”