Work, e’er I end poorer (7)
I believe the answer is:
needier
'poorer' is the definition.
('needy' can be similar in meaning to 'poor')
'work e'er i end' is the wordplay.
'work' is an anagram indicator.
'eer'+'i'+'end'='eeriend'
'eeriend' with letters rearranged gives 'NEEDIER'.
(Other definitions for needier that I've seen before include "Wanting more" , "poor, ultimately - more so than others" , "More disadvantaged" , "In more want" , "Less well off" .)