At a time when the prices of groceries, gas and other essentials have soared to new heights, nearly one-third of U.S workers earn “poverty-level wages” of less than $15 an hour.
That’s according to a new data analysis from the global poverty charity Oxfam, which found that 51.9 million U.S. workers make less than $15 an hour, or $31,200 a year.
“It’s shameful that at a time when many U.S. companies are boasting record profits, some of the hardest working people in this country — especially people who keep our economy and society functioning — are struggling to get by and falling behind.” said the report’s author, Kaitlyn Henderson, senior research advisor at Oxfam America.
Women and people of color are “vastly overrepresented” in these low-wage jobs, the report found, with 47% of Black people making less than $15 an hour versus 26% of white people. Some 50% of working…
