ARTICLE
According to a new poll by Maru Public Opinion conducted for The Business Journals, the vast majority of Americans would prefer to shorten their current five-day workweek to a four-day workweek — even if it meant working more hours per day. The poll found 82% of full-time American workers would trade in their five, eight-hour days for four, 10-hour days — the same amount of hours worked — and do it for the same pay they would be getting now. The poll also found: > The highest-paid workers are most open to making the switch, with 88% support from workers making $100,000 and up. The least amount of support, although still a majority, came from those making less than $25,000, which saw 76% support. > Women (85%) are more likely to opt for the four-day workweek than men (79%). > The four-day workweek saw the most support among those with graduate degrees, at 85% support, with less than high school at 79% support and those with college or associate degrees at 74% support. The survey of 1,525 randomly selected adults conducted in late January, found some differentiation geographically, with those in the Midwest showing the highest level of support at 84%, followed by the Northeast at 83%, the South at 82% and the West at 78%. Earlier this month, California State Assemblymember Randy Voepel (R-Santee) representing the 71st Assembly District introduced Assembly Bill (AB 1761), the Workforce Flexibility Act of 2022. This bill would enact the Workplace Flexibility Act of 2022. The bill would permit an individual non-exempt employee to request an employee-selected flexible work schedule providing for workdays up to 10 hours per day within a 40-hour workweek, and would allow an employer to implement this schedule without the obligation to pay overtime compensation for those additional hours in a workday, except as specified. The bill would require that the flexible work schedule contain specified information and the employer’s and the employee’s original signature. The bill would also require the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement in the Department of Industrial Relations to enforce this provision and adopt regulations. The legislation may be heard in the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee in early March. The legislation, if passed and signed in to law, does not apply to any employee covered by a valid collective bargaining agreement or employed by the state, a city, county, city and county, district, municipality, or other public, quasi-public, or municipal corporation, or any political subdivision of this state. However, it is unlikely that the legislation as drafted will move out of that committee without serious support from the Assembly Democratic leadership. We are seeing a fast change in the employee—employer relationship caused by a pandemic which created an increasing number of employers to allow for remote work locations, where it would provide the same level of work production. That trend continues in the tech and business services sector. In many cases, though, such as in the health sector, flexibility is not an option for nurses, doctors and other healthcare providers. Employees in hotel and retail sectors have seen a dramatic shift in work hours during the height of the pandemic. A Pew Research study, however, shows an increase in wages in those sectors. (See chart above). The COVID-19 pandemic is reshaping the U.S. labor market more than any single event since at least the Great Recession of 2007-09 and the financial panic that accompanied it. Employers shed nearly 20 million jobs between March and April 2020, according to government data, and payroll employment has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels. Workers are quitting their jobs at a record pace, particularly in lower-paid sectors such as retail and food service, and many employers are scrambling to lure replacements with raises and bonuses. We are seeing that this employee—employer impact is real in Santa Cruz County, in California and across the country. A report from the UC Berkeley Labor Center entitled, California’s Labor Market in Time of COVID-19 identified some key highlights: > California’s economy experienced massive job losses from the pandemic, and it is still a long way from fully recovering. Compared to the nation as a whole, California lost a greater proportion of jobs during the pandemic. Although California’s employment hasn’t fully recovered yet, the state has accounted for most of the job gains nationwide over the last four months. > While employment in the private sector shows signs of recovery, employment in the public sector is stagnant. > California’s labor markets experienced a significant loss of workers. When the pandemic began, the portion of the population either working or looking for work in California decreased significantly as compared to the United States. Still, as we move into a recovery mode, hundreds of thousands of workers remain on the sidelines. >The impact of COVID-19 extends beyond the labor market. Many workers — especially workers of color and low-wage workers — continue to experience economic, housing and food insecurities and limited access to medical care. You can download the chartbook here: https://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Californias-Labor-Market-in-the-Time-of-COVID-19-Feb-22-update.pdf So where does this take California and specifically Santa Cruz County’s economy in the months ahead? There is anecdotal evidence that our labor markets will return to pre-pandemic levels as we head into our spring and summer seasons, which brings tourists and their dollars to an abundance of economic uptick for our county. However, we have a long road ahead of us if the trends continue. Stay strong, and stay safe out there.
According to a new poll by Maru Public Opinion conducted for The Business Journals, the vast majority of Americans would prefer to shorten their current five-day workweek to a four-day workweek — even if it meant working more hours per day.
The poll found 82% of full-time American workers would trade in their five, eight-hour days for four, 10-hour days — the same amount of hours worked — and do it for the same pay they would be getting now.
The poll also found:
> The highest-paid workers are most open to making the switch, with 88% support from workers making $100,000 and up. The least amount of support, although still a majority, came from those making less than $25,000, which saw 76% support.
> Women (85%) are more likely to opt for the four-day workweek than men (79%).
> The four-day workweek saw the most support among those with graduate degrees, at 85% support, with less than high school at 79% support and those with college or associate degrees at 74% support.
The survey of 1,525 randomly selected adults conducted in late January, found some differentiation geographically, with those in the Midwest showing the highest level of support at 84%, followed by the Northeast at 83%, the South at 82% and the West at 78%.
Earlier this month, California State Assemblymember Randy Voepel (R-Santee) representing the 71st Assembly District introduced Assembly Bill (AB 1761), the Workforce Flexibility Act of 2022. This bill would enact the Workplace Flexibility Act of 2022. The bill would permit an individual non-exempt employee to request an employee-selected flexible work schedule providing for workdays up to 10 hours per day within a 40-hour workweek, and would allow an employer to implement this schedule without the obligation to pay overtime compensation for those additional hours in a workday, except as specified. The bill would require that the flexible work schedule contain specified information and the employer’s and the employee’s original signature. The bill would also require the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement in the Department of Industrial Relations to enforce this provision and adopt regulations.
The legislation may be heard in the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee in early March. The legislation, if passed and signed in to law, does not apply to any employee covered by a valid collective bargaining agreement or employed by the state, a city, county, city and county, district, municipality, or other public, quasi-public, or municipal corporation, or any political subdivision of this state.
However, it is unlikely that the legislation as drafted will move out of that committee without serious support from the Assembly Democratic leadership. We are seeing a fast change in the employee—employer relationship caused by a pandemic which created an increasing number of employers to allow for remote work locations, where it would provide the same level of work production. That trend continues in the tech and business services sector. In many cases, though, such as in the health sector, flexibility is not an option for nurses, doctors and other healthcare providers. Employees in hotel and retail sectors have seen a dramatic shift in work hours during the height of the pandemic. A Pew Research study, however, shows an increase in wages in those sectors. (See chart above).
The COVID-19 pandemic is reshaping the U.S. labor market more than any single event since at least the Great Recession of 2007-09 and the financial panic that accompanied it. Employers shed nearly 20 million jobs between March and April 2020, according to government data, and payroll employment has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels. Workers are quitting their jobs at a record pace, particularly in lower-paid sectors such as retail and food service, and many employers are scrambling to lure replacements with raises and bonuses. We are seeing that this employee—employer impact is real in Santa Cruz County, in California and across the country.
A report from the UC Berkeley Labor Center entitled, California’s Labor Market in Time of COVID-19 identified some key highlights:
> California’s economy experienced massive job losses from the pandemic, and it is still a long way from fully recovering. Compared to the nation as a whole, California lost a greater proportion of jobs during the pandemic. Although California’s employment hasn’t fully recovered yet, the state has accounted for most of the job gains nationwide over the last four months.
> While employment in the private sector shows signs of recovery, employment in the public sector is stagnant.
> California’s labor markets experienced a significant loss of workers. When the pandemic began, the portion of the population either working or looking for work in California decreased significantly as compared to the United States. Still, as we move into a recovery mode, hundreds of thousands of workers remain on the sidelines.
>The impact of COVID-19 extends beyond the labor market. Many workers — especially workers of color and low-wage workers — continue to experience economic, housing and food insecurities and limited access to medical care.
You can download the chartbook here: https://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Californias-Labor-Market-in-the-Time-of-COVID-19-Feb-22-update.pdf
So where does this take California and specifically Santa Cruz County’s economy in the months ahead? There is anecdotal evidence that our labor markets will return to pre-pandemic levels as we head into our spring and summer seasons, which brings tourists and their dollars to an abundance of economic uptick for our county. However, we have a long road ahead of us if the trends continue. Stay strong, and stay safe out there.