For Immediate Release
Dec. 8, 2015
Contact: Kathy Mulady
Communications director
kathy@allianceforajustsociety.org
(206) 992-8787
Patchwork of Paychecks
Only half of all job openings pay $15 an hour or more
It’s easy to tell a low-wage worker to “go get a better-paying job,” but the reality is there are nowhere near enough jobs that pay a living wage to go around. The occupations with the most job openings pay the least, and are often part-time.
New research by the Alliance for a Just Society released today shows that nationally there are seven job seekers for every job that pays at least $15 an hour. Only 54 percent of all job openings in the United States pay $15 an hour or more.
(Fact sheet here.)
In no state are there enough living wage job openings to go around.
Job seekers in California, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and South Carolina struggle the most, with 10 job seekers for every living wage job opening.
No state has fewer than three job seekers for every job opening that allows a single adult to make ends meet.
(State-by-state table of job seekers and job openings)
“Patchwork of Paychecks” gives a detailed look at the availability of living wage jobs and full-time work. Additionally, stories from workers juggling multiple jobs illustrate the struggle people face when they can’t find full time work, or work that pays enough.
“This report makes it painfully clear that the economy isn’t creating enough living wage jobs, and that lawmakers must take action to raise the wage floor for all workers and to enact other policies to support working families,” said Jill Reese, associate director of the Alliance for a Just Society.
Before the Great Recession, involuntary part-time workers made up 11 percent of all part-time workers. Since then they have consistently made up more than 20 percent of all part-time workers.
For millions of workers, living-wage work is out of reach – especially for women, Latinos and Latinas, and workers of color who are more likely to work part-time.
“The increasing shift to low-wage work doesn’t just mean less pay. For many workers, it means fewer hours at low wages, unpredictable schedules, wage theft, and no paid sick leave – making it impossible to ever get ahead,” said Allyson Fredericksen, author of “Patchwork of Paychecks.”
The Alliance for a Just Society, a national organization focusing on economic and racial justice, has produced reports on jobs and wages since 1999.
“Patchwork of Paychecks” is the second report in the Job Gap Economic Prosperity Series that is produced by the Alliance annually
Jill Reese, associate director of the Alliance, and Allyson Fredericksen, author of “Patchwork of Paychecks” are available for interviews.
For the full report: https://jobgap2013.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/patchwork_of_paychecks.pdf
State-by-state table of job seekers and job openings:
https://www.allianceforajustsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Patchwork-Table-2.pdf
Fact Sheet
“Patchwork of Paychecks”
- Nationally, four of the top five fastest growing occupations pay less than $15 an hour. They are: retail salespersons; waiters and waitresses; cashiers; and food preparation and serving workers, including fast food.
- Nationally, for jobs that pay at least $15 per hour, there are seven job seekers for every job opening.
- The occupation category with the most projected job openings, retail salesperson, pays a median wage of $10.29 per hour.
- Nationwide, there are more than 17.7 million job seekers. There are 5 million job openings total, paying any wage. Of those, 2.7 million pay at least $15 an hour.
- In 34 states, less than half of all job openings pay enough for a single adult to make ends meet.
- In California, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and South Carolina there are 10 job seekers for every living wage job opening.
People of Color
- The Alliance reported last year that only 52 percent of full-time workers of color earn $15 per hour or more. This includes:
- 51 percent of black workers
- 50 percent of Native American workers.
- 42 percent of full-time Latino and Latina workers
- 57 percent of female workers earn at least $15 per hour.
Part-Time Work
- The proportion of involuntary part-time workers is double what it was before the Great Recession (11 percent of part-time workers were involuntarily working part-time in 2007 compared to 21 percent in 2014).
- Latinas and Latinos, and workers of color are more likely to work part-time in most states and nationally, making it even more difficult for them to make ends meet.
- Part-time work also includes a number of other obstacles to making ends meet. Unpredictable or on-call scheduling is more common for part-time workers than for workers overall, and makes it nearly impossible to work more than one part-time job.
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