Low-Wage Work

Over half of all low-income children in the United States have a parent who works full time, year-round. But they work in low-wage jobs that typically offer few benefits (such as health insurance, paid sick leave, and retirement plans), little stability, and few opportunities for advancement.

Shifts in the economy have made it virtually impossible for workers without a college degree to command a living wage. “Work support” benefits—for example, earned income tax credits and child care subsidies—can help families close the gap between low earnings and basic expenses.

Research shows that a single parent with two children typically needs to earn $16.50 an hour full-time—or about $34,000 a year—to provide for the family’s basic needs. Yet the highest state minimum wage is under $8 an hour, and the federal minimum wage is only $5.85, even with the recent increase.

Publications

• Making Work Supports Work
  Project Description
  Fact Sheet, September 2008
• Staying Afloat in Tough Times
  What States Are and Aren't Doing to Promote Family Economic Security
  Report, August 2008
• Statement on Establishing a Modern Poverty Measure
  Statement, July 2008
• Ten Important Questions About Child Poverty and Family Economic Hardship
  Brochure, May 2008
• Most Low-Income Parents Are Employed
  Fact Sheet, November 2007
• Child Care in Colorado
  Making Care More Affordable for Working Families
  Report, November 2007