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<ul class="summary-list"><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-lyft-driving-with-disability-low-earners-gig-work-flexibility-2024-1">Lyft</a> CEO David Risher regularly posts on LinkedIn about the opportunity to earn money on the app.</li><li>But one Pennsylvania-based Lyft driver BI spoke with pushed back on Risher's claims.</li></ul><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lyft-ceo-comments-earnings-typo-cfo-job-safe-2024-2">Lyft CEO David Risher</a> regularly talks about his own positive experiences driving for the rideshare service.Take one of Risher's latest LinkedIn posts, which details driving <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lyft-drivers-questioning-ceo-david-risher-napa-linkedin-post-2024-6">Lyft riders around Napa Valley</a> on a Sunday in early summer. The CEO says he made about $28 an hour, including tips, from three rides in a 90-minute period. The $28 did not include his expenses, such as gas."Obviously I drive to learn, not to earn, and your mileage may vary," he wrote. "But I came away with even more appreciation for the driving experience."But one Pennsylvania-based Lyft driver told Business Insider that the reality is far different than what Risher describes. The driver asked not to be identified by name in this article, citing fear of having his <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gig-workers-explain-how-to-get-reactivated-uber-eats-instacart-2024-2">account deactivated</a> by Lyft. BI has verified his work for Lyft and other details.During one recent week driving in Pennsylvania, the driver told BI that he completed eight rides over about three hours and drove 85 miles. After accounting for his expenses, he estimates that he earned a total of $35 in pre-tax profit for his work."They're not even paying us minimum wage after those expenses are taken off of that," the driver said. "But they're portraying out there that we're making $20 or $30 an hour, and that is not true.""It's misrepresentation," the driver said about Risher's latest post.Lyft drivers — and many other gig workers, such as those who deliver for services like DoorDash and Instacart — aren't compensated in most places for the time spent driving to a location to pick someone up. Nor are they paid for time spent waiting for the app to serve them a ride offer.Unless you have the good luck that Risher did in Napa lining up nearly back-to-back-to-back rides, that unpaid time can eat deep into the money drivers earn while completing a job, the Lyft driver told BI.In some smaller Pennsylvania cities, for example, "the traffic is so congested that you pick somebody up for a $3 ride, and it'll take you 20 minutes to get there.""You subtract your mileage, and you're in the hole," he added."We know that driving in rural areas of the country isn't the same as compared to driving in some of the busiest cities like New York or San Francisco — each has their own characteristics," a Lyft spokesperson told BI.The spokesperson also pointed to a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.lyft.com/blog/posts/lyft-expands-driver-earnings-commitment-nationwide">May announcement</a>, in which Lyft said that drivers would receive no less than 70% of the fares that riders pay each week.Gig workers across the board have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/golden-age-gig-work-instacart-doordash-delivery-jobs-over-2023-12">faced lower pay</a> for their work in recent years thanks to a greater number of contractors competing for orders.Uber and Lyft workers say they're regularly offered <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-lyft-pay-tips-minimum-wage-driving-gig-work-expenses-2024-5">rides that pay $3 or less each</a>.This month, the Pennsylvania driver said a new challenge hit his earning potential: A Lyft support representative told him via chat that he was suddenly unable to accept rides in the county next to where he usually works. The driver shared screenshots of the chat with BI. Lyft did not respond to a question from BI about the policy.So far, that's led to fewer ride offers and less income, the driver said. Previously, he worked across county lines in Pennsylvania to take the most lucrative rides."I have to work 12 hours now to make what I used to make in eight hours," he told BI.Do you work for Lyft, Uber, DoorDash, or another gig rideshare or delivery service and have a story idea to share? Reach out to this reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com.

A Lyft driver says he isn't even making minimum wage driving full-time and it shows how much the job costs workers

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Milan Novak moved from Florida's Atlantic Coast to rural Arkansas, citing the quiet of small-town life.</li><li>Novak's transition to rural life was made difficult by limited job opportunities.</li></ul>Milan Novak, 67, decided over a decade ago that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/leaving-florida-moving-to-vermont-boomer-retirement-mobile-home-2023-12">Florida's Atlantic Coast</a> wasn't right anymore for him. So he decided to move from his city of 24,000 along the beach to a town of just 900 in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/young-tech-workers-moving-to-northwest-arkansas-2023-8">rural Arkansas</a>.It took him years to adjust to the pace of life and to live on a limited income due to a lack of jobs in his new home. Still, he's valued the quiet of his community and the simplicity of life in a small town."I had no idea what the hell we were going to run into once we moved here," Novak told Business Insider. "We knew nothing of the area."While many older Americans continue <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moving-to-florida-from-minnesota-weather-hurricane-insurance-retirement-expensive-2024-3">moving to Florida</a>, some have told BI that Florida has lost its feeling of "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moving-from-florida-to-virginia-pros-cons-cape-coral-weather-2024-2">paradise</a>." Some have cited <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-condo-owners-prices-drop-insurance-hoa-taxes-increase-2023-3">rising home and insurance prices</a> as motivations for leaving, despite acknowledging they'll never find weather as consistently good. One couple who recently <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/leaving-florida-moving-to-missouri-pros-cons-insurance-boomer-taxes-2024-3">moved to rural Missouri</a> said they moved due to a population influx and political changes, seeking a lower cost of living.<h2>Leaving Florida and settling in Arkansas</h2>Novak was born in New Jersey but <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/democrat-moved-virginia-florida-last-year-politics-weather-cost-living-2024-4">moved to Florida</a> at 19. When he first moved, he said his small town had one traffic light and plenty of farmland, though he noticed more strip malls began to open up with worsening traffic.His father opened a small beer and wine bar, though it didn't pull in enough to support the whole family, so Novak worked at a gas station in town. He ended up working at a car dealership, building his way up to service manager at two Chrysler Dodge stores.Novak lived in Edgewater, about 20 miles south of Daytona Beach on Florida's east coast. He bought his house in the early 2000s for $181,000. He said the area became more touristy and commercialized, contributing to "ungodly" traffic, and he suspected it would be challenging to make ends meet as his area became more expensive."If I had a little more income by retirement age, I may have been able to stick it out, but I doubt it," Novak said.Eventually, he quit the car business in 2009 — though not after being persuaded back in for another two years — and wanted to shift to something entirely different. He knew he would <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/financial-independence-retire-early-fire-millennial-income-wealthy-business-owners-2024-4">retire</a> within the next decade, and he wanted to start life anew in a different part of the country, even if it meant not having a job lined up.His wife wanted to sell his 4,000-square-foot <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/millennial-moved-florida-southern-portugal-better-life-2024-4">Florida home</a>, as their kids had moved out, and he and his wife wanted to downsize.They put the house up for sale in 2011, though nobody wanted to buy it. He said they "practically gave it away" in 2012 for $185,000.They decided to look in the South Central US to be closer to family. They looked into Willow Springs, a rural city in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moved-california-missouri-bought-house-sight-unseen-2021-5">Missouri</a>'s Ozark Mountains, though every property they found was between 10 and 20 acres. Realtors also told them the area had a drug problem, though they thought the beauty of the Ozarks would be calming as he approached retirement, especially after decades of working with cars.<div type="image" title="Milan Novak's home in Arkansas" height="539" width="801" msid="109691386" hostid="261"></div>He stumbled upon a home in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas, and within a week, he signed an offer. The about 1,000-square-foot, two-story home was just $38,000 with an acre of land, on which they built a barn and workshop. They moved in six months later."We just knew we bought a house three miles down a gravel road in the middle of nowhere," he said. "I knew we didn't have internet, and everything was dial-up at the time."<h2>Adjusting to rural life</h2>He knew moving from coastal Florida would come with colder temperatures. In his first two months, he got a foot of snow, followed by another two feet over the next two months. Eventually, they invested in changing their heating system and installing different doors."This house was very poorly insulated, and I went through a full tank of propane in less than a month in December," Novak said. "I was like, oh my god, did I make the right move? This is unbelievable, and at this rate, I can't afford to keep this house."He bought two four-wheelers for himself and his wife to ride around in, as many roads near him are dirt. One day, he took a ride to a creek and introduced himself to a group of locals. The group already knew him and his wife as "the two people from Florida who have got to be on the witness protection program because nobody moves from Florida to Mammoth Spring."<div type="image" title="Milan Novak's four-wheeler on a dirt road" height="1209" width="1612" msid="109691391" hostid="261"></div>Fulton County, where he lives, is a dry county, which he said was an interesting transition, though many who drive by his house carry alcohol.Without a job set up, Novak said the first few years were difficult, as the only jobs in his area paid minimum wage — which was $6.25 when he first moved. He worked for a few years at local restaurants to afford his living costs.He worked the night shift at Walmart before going back into the car business as a salesman, which he hated. His neighbor successfully ran for county judge and got him a job as his assistant, though he soon after retired as his back issues worsened. He was able to collect Social Security at 62 while his wife took a job as an administrative assistant for a flooring company, which supplied them with health insurance."There is no work around here; it's all rural. If you don't have a farm, you're not eating," Novak said. "We struggled for many years until now, and we're doing good."Now, in addition to "soaking in the quiet," he does woodworking projects and maintains his property. He said there's always something to fix or tend to, especially with having three dogs and five cats.It keeps him busy, though he said there's little to do in his area — there isn't even a grocery store, convenience store, or gas station near him. There are a handful of restaurants in the downtown, some of which get foot traffic from tourists visiting the spring. There's a small state park near him with beautiful trails, though he acknowledged it often doesn't compare to the beach."In the bank, there's a picture of Main Street back in 1914, and you'd swear you're looking at the same picture now," Novak said.He has no intention of moving, though he said his property is worth about $150,000 now, more than triple what he bought it for. His goal is just to live peacefully and try to stay healthy and active."I can't make any long plans, and I'd be lucky if we're all here tomorrow," Novak said.Have you recently moved to a new state or left the United States for a new country? Reach out to this reporter at <a target="_blank" href="mailto:nsheidlower@businessinsider.com">nsheidlower@businessinsider.com</a>.

Why a boomer left coastal Florida for a rural Arkansas town of 900 residents: 'I didn't think we'd make it' to retirement in Florida 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Over 50 million US <keyword id="11910848" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="workers" source="Orion">workers</keyword> make less than $15 per hour, according to a new <keyword id="6412407" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="oxfam" source="Orion">Oxfam</keyword> America report.</li><li>Report author Kaitlyn Henderson said that pay "is just not livable," especially with high US inflation.</li></ul><keyword id="12924468" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="low-wage-workers" source="Orion">Low-wage workers</keyword>, including many who were praised as "essential" or as "heroes" during the pandemic, "have not been given adequate compensation," according to Kaitlyn Henderson, author of a new report from Oxfam America analyzing pay in the US.Those low wages come amid a period of soaring corporate profits, which "are not being equitably distributed to workers," Henderson, senior researcher at Oxfam America, told Insider.The <a href="https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/research-publications/the-crisis-of-low-wages-in-the-us/">report</a> from Oxfam America finds that there are over 51.9 million US workers — about a third of the labor force — who are making less than $15 per hour, or about $31,000 per year working full-time. Henderson said this level of pay "is just not livable."Inflation, which is at a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inflation-cpi-price-growth-gas-prices-february-2022-3">40-year high</a>, isn't helping, with Henderson noting that it can be difficult for these workers to be able to pay for basic necessities. The prices of important goods and services, like electricity and medical care <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inflation-outlook-analysis-worsening-for-goods-services-americans-need-most-2022-3">are far higher than before the pandemic</a>. Alongside the new report are interactive <a href="https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/countries/united-states/poverty-in-the-us/low-wage-map-2022/">maps</a> from Oxfam America that highlight the share of workers by state who are earning less than $15, as well as breakdowns by race, age, parenthood, and gender.Mississippi had the highest share of people making less than $15 per hour among the states and DC, at 45.3% for the state. Puerto Rico had a higher share than any state in the analysis, with 76.5% of its workers making less than this amount.Henderson said the map shows that "where you live really determines whether or not you're going to be able to afford the cost of living."California and Washington as well as DC have smaller shares of their workforces earning less than $15 an hour compared to the rest of the US. One reason for this could be because of their higher minimum wages. "If you were to get a job at a <keyword id="11975834" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="minimum-wage" source="Orion">minimum wage</keyword> position and you're getting over $15 an hour, that incentivizes other companies to raise their wages as well because if they don't, they can't compete," Henderson said about these two states and DC.The federal minimum wage has been $7.25 an hour since July 2009 and advocates are looking to increase it to $15. Henderson said that $15 should be a "starting point" but not the "end goal." Henderson said an hourly rate of $15 "depending on where you live really isn't enough to cover all of the basic necessities, especially if you have children." According to <a href="https://info.childcareaware.org/hubfs/2022-03-FallReport-FINAL%20(1).pdf?utm_campaign=Budget%20Reconciliation%20Fall%202021&amp;utm_source=website&amp;utm_content=22_demandingchange_pdf_update332022">Child Care Aware of America</a>'s calculations and <a href="https://www.childcareaware.org/demanding-change-repairing-our-child-care-system/">methodologies</a>, the national average childcare price was $10,174 a year in 2020, about a third of what a full-time worker earning $15 would make.Raising the minimum wage would be especially beneficial for<a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/article/raising-minimum-wage-key-supporting-breadwinning-mothers-drive-economy/"> working mothers</a>, workers of color, and <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/article/rural-workers-color-need-15-federal-minimum-wage/">rural workers.</a> The Oxfam America report found that four in 10 people of color make less than $15 an hour."The evidence is clear that minimum wage increases overwhelmingly benefit the low-wage workforce," economist Ben Zipperer of the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/minimum-wage-15-an-hour-moral-economic-imperative-biden-poverty-2021-2">previously told Insider </a>via email."There is sometimes a perception that the workers who would benefit from a higher minimum wage are mostly teenagers in their first jobs," the authors of an <a href="https://www.epi.org/publication/raising-the-federal-minimum-wage-to-15-by-2025-would-lift-the-pay-of-32-million-workers/">Economic Policy Institute report</a> wrote. "In fact, the data show that most of the workers who would benefit from a federal increase to $15 are older and full-time workers."While 46.1 million adults — those who are at least 20 years old — earn less than $15 an hour according to Oxfam America's analysis, there are only a total of 5.8 million people between 16 and 19 years old who are also making less than this rate.

A third of US workers make less than $15 an hour, and they're struggling to make ends meet

The <keyword id="151047" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rural-development-ministry" source="Orion">rural development ministry</keyword> has sought additional funds of about Rs 25,000 crore for the <keyword id="145241" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="MGNREGS" source="Orion">MGNREGS</keyword>, in a clear indication of a rise in demand for work, sources said on Tuesday. The ministry has sought Rs 25,000 crore from the finance ministry and it is expected that the funds will be allocated by the second week of this month, the sources said. In the <keyword id="6360189" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="union-budget" source="Orion">Union Budget</keyword> for 2022-23, an amount of Rs 73,000 crore was allocated for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). Of this amount, about Rs 54,000 crore have been allocated to the states so far, the sources said. About 181 crore person days of work has also been generated under the programme so far, they added. The total expenditure on the MGNREGS is expected to touch the last financial year's level of Rs 98,000 crore. The government would take Parliament's approval for the additional fund allocation under the MNREGA through the first batch of the Supplementary <keyword id="15401700" type="TOPIC" weightage="60" keywordseo="Demands-for-Grants" source="TOPIC" sourcekeytype="budget,investopedia" meta.keywordsubtype="null" meta.seopath="d/demands-for-grants" meta.entityname="Demands for Grants" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="demands-for-grants">Demands for Grants</keyword> to be tabled in the upcoming winter session. The MGNREGS aims at enhancing the livelihood security of households in the rural areas of the country by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every household, the adult members of which volunteer to do unskilled manual work. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/gst-collections-touch-151718-cr-in-oct-second-highest-since-april/articleshow/95225501.cms">GST collections touch ₹1,51,718 cr in Oct, second highest since April</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/pakistans-forex-reserves-are-close-to-nil-says-local-newspaper-dawn/articleshow/95224526.cms">Pakistan's forex reserves are close to nil, says local newspaper Dawn</a>

Rural development ministry seeks additional funds of ₹25,000 crore for MGNREGS

<ul><li>Clothing which is a non-discretionary spending by rural population has gone down substantially. </li><li><keyword id="6590829" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rural-wage-growth">Rural wage growth</keyword> also plunged from 14.6% in 2013-14 to a mere 1.1% in 2018-19. </li><li>Due to the <keyword id="3345174" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rural-Slowdown">rural slowdown</keyword>, biscuits as a category, is growing at a dismal 1%, says an Axis bank report. </li></ul>The ongoing slowdown is affecting rural and urban Indians differently. While urban Indians might be buying fewer cars and staying away from jewels, many basic essentials are vanishing from rural homes--be it biscuits, clothes and hair oil. Data shows that 833 million rural Indians have all but stalled buying clothes. “In the last one year the weighted contribution of clothing which is a non-discretionary item plunged from 39 bps in June 20118 to almost zero in June and July 2019, indicating demand slowdown,” says a report by SBI Ecowrap. Villagers are screwing caps on essentials as well. "The slowdown in hair oils is led by moderation in rural growth. The volume growth in the rural area is now at 4.8%,” said Sumit Malhotra, CEO of Bajaj Consumer after its first quarter earnings report. Rural consumption hit by wage decline The rural wages have not been growing at all. “The real rural wage growth plunged from 14.6% in 2013-14 to a mere 1.1% in 2018-19,” said SBI Ecowrap. Not only are villagers making less and spending less, their incomes are so low that savings are going down as well. <div type="javascript" title="Custom" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[
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 This is a big blow for fast moving consumer goods companies as most have been betting on the rural market. As many as 65,000 villages contribute as much as half of overall of fast-moving consumer goods sales in India. Due to the rural slowdown, biscuits as a category, is growing at a dismal 1%, says an Axis bank report. ”Rural stress led to moderation of rural demand growth which peaked to around 1.5 times of urban growth few quarters back,” said a report by Aditya Birla Capital on FMCG sectoral review in the first quarter. Finance Ministry’s stimulus will take time to reach villages The government has started taking cognizance of slow growth across the country. And, the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has kicked off a slew of measures to kickstart the economy, and one of them being ₹70,000 crore capital to public sector banks, and rolling back on additional tax surcharge on investors that was imposed during the Budget. “We are cautiously optimistic on the rural, but we'll continue to steer the course on the strategy that we've defined for ourselves as far as rural is concerned. If the government spending and the stimulus reaches out the rural, then it will be great," said Mohit Malhotra, CEO of Dabur. However, for the stimulus to reach rural areas will be a long and arduous journey trickling from banks to non-banking financial institutions. This is unfortunate considering rural Indians are always the first to face the ill-effects of slowdown. See also: <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="70766429" title="India’s biscuit crisis shows slowdown is hurting the poor more — and job losses are making it worse" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

After biscuits, Indian villagers are cutting down on clothes and hair oil too

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11916124" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="paul-constant" source="Orion">Paul Constant</keyword> is a writer at Civic Ventures and the cohost of the "<a href="http://www.pitchforkeconomics.com/">Pitchfork Economics</a>" podcast.</li><li>He spoke with Saru Jayaraman of UC Berkeley's Food Labor Research Center about tipped workers. </li></ul>"Prior to the pandemic, the <keyword id="11916216" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="restaurant-industry" source="Orion">restaurant industry</keyword> was <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/08/restaurant-jobs-boom/536244/">the largest and fastest-growing private sector employer in the US</a>," Saru Jayaraman, director of the Food Labor Research Center at the University of California Berkeley, said on <a href="https://pitchforkeconomics.com/episode/ending-the-tipped-minimum-wage-with-saru-jayaraman/">the latest episode of "Pitchfork Economics</a>." But restaurants have also always been one of the lowest-paying sectors of the <keyword id="11893570" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="economy" source="Orion">economy</keyword>. We frequently refer to the federal <keyword id="11975834" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="minimum-wage" source="Orion">minimum wage</keyword> as $7.25 per hour, but the truth is that $7.25 isn't the lowest an employer can legally get away with paying their workers. The actual lowest wage an American worker can legally be paid is what we call the subminimum wage, which currently still stands at <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/service-workers-resignations-bring-up-wages-end-tipping-nyt-2021-9">$2.13 per hour</a> for tipped employees. <a href="https://www.minimum-wage.org/tipped">Tipped workers in more than 40 states around the nation</a> take home less than the $7.25 minimum wage from their employers, with customer tips making up the rest of their paychecks. Jayaraman, the author most recently of "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/One-Fair-Wage-Subminimum-America/dp/1620975335">One Fair Wage: Ending Subminimum Pay in America</a>," said this has to change.The subminimum wage for tipped workers is a racist practice, Jayaraman said, which <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/05/opinion/minimum-wage-racism.html">dates back to the time of the Emancipation Proclamation</a> "when the restaurant lobby first demanded the right to hire newly freed slaves, not pay them anything at all, and have them live entirely on this newfangled concept that had come from Europe at the time called tipping."Essentially, the subminimum wage allows restaurant owners to outsource their payroll expenses to customers. And the tipping system isn't some libertarian's ideal free-market system in which the most efficient workers are tipped exactly what they're worth. Women and people of color who work for tips always <a href="https://www.eater.com/a/case-against-tipping">earn significantly "less than white, male tipped workers</a>," Jayaraman said, "because of the biases we all carry as customers. That got even worse during the pandemic."Employer justifications for the subminimum wage tend to fall apart under the slightest examination. The restaurant industry clearly doesn't need to pay less than the minimum wage to survive because <a href="https://www.epi.org/minimum-wage-tracker/#/tip_wage/">seven states</a> around the country have eliminated the tipped minimum wage, requiring restaurant owners to pay their employees at least the state's full minimum wage. These states still have a wide variety of restaurants of all kinds. This isn't a partisan issue or a matter of more or less prosperous states, either: States with no tipped minimum wage include progressive hotbeds with large wealthy urban areas like California and Washington and red states with relatively low populations and huge rural expanses like Montana and Alaska. Restaurant workers in these seven states have for years taken home more than the federal tipped minimum wage per hour with no negative effects on the restaurant industry. In fact, Denny's CFO Robert Verostek <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/dennys-shareholders-revolt-after-ceo-concedes-15-minimum-wage-wont-hurt-business-1588970">told shareholders last year</a> that the chain's diners in California — which at the time had a $14 minimum wage and no <keyword id="12152581" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tipped-wage" source="Orion">tipped wage</keyword> — "outperformed the system" with "six consecutive years of positive guest traffic — not just positive sales, but positive guest traffic — as the minimum wage was going up." The pandemic has worsened conditions for restaurant workers, and many of them have decided that the subminimum wage isn't worth the hassle. Jayaraman serves as president for the nonprofit One Fair Wage, which last year <a href="https://onefairwage.site/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/OFW_WageShortage_F.pdf">surveyed 3,000 restaurant workers</a> who left their jobs during the Great Resignation and found that 54% of respondents said they were abandoning the industry entirely.Of those leaving restaurant work, "nearly eight in 10 say the only thing that would make them stay or come back is a full livable wage with tips on top," Jayaraman said. Two bucks and a sprinkling of pocket change per hour isn't enough to convince them to navigate the racism and sexual harassment that servers routinely face, in addition to all the problems that come with working a public-facing job during a pandemic. "They are not having it. They're not putting up with it anymore," Jayaraman said.

With tips, restaurants can pay workers as little as $2 an hour. It's why no one's coming back to work.

<ul><li>Despite a record outlay for the <keyword id="6361863" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="MGNREGA">MGNREGA</keyword> in 2019-2020, daily workers enrolled in the scheme will reportedly receive the lowest wage hike since its inception in 2006. </li><li>On average, unskilled manual workers will see their <keyword id="6356975" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="wages">wages</keyword> rise by a little over 2% as per a state-wise notification from the Ministry of Rural Development. </li><li>The wage hike has been progressively declining in the last few years. From a 5.7% hike in 2015-16, it fell to 2.9% in 2016-17 and 2.7% in 2017-18. </li></ul> Despite <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-modi-government-has-increased-funding-for-a-cash-strapped-job-guarantee-scheme-to-an-all-time-high-ahead-of-budget-2019/articleshow/67555665.cms">a record outlay</a> for the Indian government’s National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme in 2019-2020, daily workers enrolled in the scheme will reportedly receive the lowest wage hike since its <a href="http://nrega.nic.in/NREGArpt_eng.pdf">inception in 2006.</a> On average, unskilled manual workers will see their wages rise by a little over 2% as per a state-wise notification from the Ministry of Rural Development, reported <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/rural-distress-and-demand-up-nreg-gets-lowest-wage-hike-for-2019-20-5647823/">the Indian Express</a>. In fact, workers in at least three states - Karnataka, Kerala and West Bengal - will see no change in their daily wage rates. The wage hike has been progressively declining in the last few years. From a 5.7% hike in 2015-16, it fell to 2.9% in 2016-17 and 2.7% in 2017-18. This comes as the number of workers in the scheme has been increasing. The scheme recorded 2.6 billion work days last year compared to 2.3 billion in 2016-17. Hence, even with a rise in budgetary allocations, there’s a larger base of workers to cater to. There might be another reason for the decline in wage growth -- rural distress. The wages paid under the scheme are tied to<a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/ec-likely-to-clear-revised-mnrega-wage-rates/article26650189.ece"> the consumer price index (CPI) for agriculture workers</a>. In determining the wage rates for the new fiscal year, the Ministry of Rural Development reportedly compares the CPI rates for agriculture workers for <a href="https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/agriculture/does-centre-s-move-to-hike-mgnrega-wages-hold-any-value--63732">December 2018 and December 2017</a>. Consumer <keyword id="22195" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Inflation">inflation</keyword> has been<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/no-low-inflation-is-not-always-a-good-thing-heres-why/articleshow/67541528.cms"> on a downward slope</a> as of late, hitting <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/is-the-indian-villager-really-spending-way-more-on-medicine-than-food/articleshow/67536050.cms">an 18-month low</a> in December 2018, owing to a weakness in the prices of food items amid an excess in agricultural production. Moreover, while linking wages to rural inflation seems a justifiable practice, it will only perpetuate the current trend of low prices as low wages means lower aggregate demand in rural areas. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-modi-government-has-increased-funding-for-a-cash-strapped-job-guarantee-scheme-to-an-all-time-high-ahead-of-budget-2019/articleshow/67555665.cms">The Modi government is looking to boost rural consumption with record outlay for employment scheme</a>

India’s rural jobs programme is reportedly offering its lowest wage hike ever next year

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Walmart announced last month that it will increase its minimum wage from $12 an hour to $14 an hour.</li><li>The move has been met with mixed reactions, with some saying it's a good start but not enough.</li></ul>Walmart is set to boost its minimum wage for workers to $14 an hour in the coming weeks.But the move is receiving mixed reactions from Walmart employees.Several workers told Insider or wrote on social media that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-increase-minimum-wage-for-employees-to-14-an-hour-2023-1">the new minimum wage</a> is not sufficient."It seems like Walmart executives are finally listening to what Walmart associates have been saying for years, that we need higher wages to make ends meet in today's economy," said Emily Francois, a Walmart worker in Texas who is a leader for retail-worker advocacy nonprofit United for Respect."But a higher poverty wage isn't enough." Francois has argued for a $25-an-hour wage. In response to critiques from workers, Walmart spokeswoman Anne Hatfield told Insider in an emailed statement that the company has been "continuously raising wages and is starting the new year by investing in higher pay for frontline associates — the average U.S. associate now makes more than $17.50/hour as a result." The wage increase will be reflected in employees' March 2 paychecks, the retailer said. One Walmart worker from Kentucky, who asked to be anonymous for fear of retaliation, told Insider that he makes $16.53 an hour and his store has had a base pay of $14 an hour for more than a year."I live in a rural area with lower cost of living and it still is barely enough," he said. "The cost of living is higher than this, and it still makes it near impossible to live alone with the ($14 per hour) pay."But for employees making the company's current minimum wage of $12 per hour, the incoming boost to their pay is welcome news.A Walmart worker in Oklahoma told Insider they think the wage boost is enough "especially given the fact that some places around me still pay below $10."Up until the middle of last decade, Walmart's minimum wage matched the federal level at $7.25. The retailer's minimum <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wal-mart-raising-hourly-wages-2015-2" rel="">rose to $9 per hour in 2015</a>, to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-raises-employee-wages-11-2018-1" rel="">$11 an hour in 2018</a>, and then to the current $12 an hour in 2021. Still, Walmart's starting wage falls below those of several of its competitors.Amazon <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-raises-minimum-wage-to-15-dollars-2018-10" rel="">raised its minimum wage for all US employees to $15 per hour</a> in 2018. One year later, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/target-minimum-wage-2019-3" rel="">Target also announced it would be raising</a> its minimum wage to $15 per hour. And in 2021, Costco announced that its employees would be <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/costco-raising-wages-to-17-an-hour-2021-10" rel="">paid a minimum of $17 per hour</a>.And the move may have minimal impact on those who already make at least $14 per hour — which includes the vast majority of workers at some Walmart stores.A store manager in Texas told Insider that his store currently has a base pay of $13 per hour and only roughly 20% of his employees will directly benefit from the minimum wage increase. The manager asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation.The move is "a step in the right direction" but does not help "a wide swathe of associates," he said.Are you a Walmart associate? Reach out to the reporter <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/ben-tobin">Ben Tobin</a> by email at btobin@insider.com to let him know what you think of the minimum wage increase.

Walmart workers to begin seeing higher paychecks on March 2, but their minimum wage will still be below Amazon, Costco, and Target

NEW DELHI: Some of the essential services related to banking, transportation, railways and electricity are likely to be impacted during a two-day nationwide strike called by a joint forum of central trade unions beginning Monday. Talking to PTI, All Indian Trade Union Congress General Secretary <keyword id="366518" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="amarjeet-kaur" source="Orion">Amarjeet Kaur</keyword> said, "We are expecting participation of over 20 crore formal and informal workers with mass mobilisation of workers across the country during the strike on March 28 and 29 to protest against government policies." She said that the strike is expected to hit the rural parts also, where informal workers of farming and other sectors will join the protest. The strike notices were given by workers' unions of various sectors such as coal, steel, oil, telecom, postal, income tax, copper, banks and insurance. Unions in railways and defence sector will carry out mass mobilization in support of the strike at several places, the joint forum said. The unions' demands include scrapping of the proposed changes in labour laws, privatisation of any form and the national monetisation pipeline. Increased allocation of wages under MNREGA (<keyword id="1194612" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mahatma-gandhi-rural-employment-guarantee-act" source="Orion">Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act</keyword>) and regularisation of contract workers are also part of their demands. Workers of roadways, transport and electricity departments have also decided to join the strike in spite of the impending threat of ESMA (Essential Services Maintenance Act) which is likely to be imposed in Haryana and Chandigarh, the joint forum said in a statement. Trade unions, including INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF and UTUC are part of the joint forum. Meanwhile, the <keyword id="6375040" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="power-ministry" source="Orion">power ministry</keyword> on Sunday advised all the state-run utilities and other agencies to be on high alert and ensure round-the-clock electricity supply and stability of the national grid. "The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) have called for a nationwide strike with effect from 06:00 hrs of March 28 to 06:00 hrs of March 30, 2022," an advisory issued by the power ministry said. The advisory has been issued to all states, central public sector undertakings, central electricity authority, national load dispatch centre and regional load dispatch centres. In the interest of the consumers of electricity, it is advised that all the power utilities shall take necessary measures to ensure round-the-clock functioning of the electricity grid and availability of all plants, transmission lines and substations, the ministry said, adding that all regional/state control room executives should be vigilant and on high alert. The ministry also suggested measures to be taken to ensure secure and reliable grid operations. Shutdown activities planned during March 28-29 may be rescheduled to suitable future dates to the extent possible, it said and asked all concerned officials to ensure close supervision of their regional network/control area. Also, manpower may be deployed at all critical sub-stations/power station 24X7 to handle any emergency situation, it said. Power supply to those engaged in essential services such as hospitals, defence, and railways must be ensured, it added and suggested setting up of a 24x7 control room for information dissemination and handling any kind of contingency. Bank employees' unions said they will support the strike. All <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India" source="Orion">India</keyword> Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA) General Secretary C H Venkatachalam said the union demands the government to stop privatisation of public sector banks and strengthen them. Bank employees also demand speedy recovey of bad loans, higher deposit rates by banks, lower service charges on customers as well as restoration of old pension scheme for staff. A number of public sector banks, including country's largest lender SBI, have said that their services may get impacted to a limited extent due to the strike. SBI said it has made necessary arrangements to ensure normal functioning in its branches and offices during the strike. "It is likely that work at our bank may be impacted, to a limited extent, by the strike," SBI said. New Delhi-headquartered Punjab National Bank (<keyword id="13478968" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="pnb" source="Orion" meta.marketcap="38923.93999753" meta.tagname="Punjab National Bank" meta.tagpopularcount="0" meta.sectorid="15" meta.entitytype="company" meta.matchtype="exact" meta.aum="0" meta.entityid="11585" meta.tagseoname="punjab-national-bank" meta.sector="Banks" meta.tagnameorg="Punjab National Bank">PNB</keyword>) said, AIBEA, Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) and All India Bank Officers' Association (AIBOA) have served notices to go on strike on March 28-29. "While bank has made all arrangements to ensure normal functioning in its branches and offices, it is likely that work in our bank may be impacted to a limited extent by the strike," PNB said. Bengaluru-based <keyword id="13478969" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="canara-bank" source="Orion" meta.marketcap="40836.07197252" meta.tagname="Canara Bank" meta.tagpopularcount="0" meta.sectorid="15" meta.entitytype="company" meta.matchtype="exact" meta.aum="0" meta.entityid="9218" meta.tagseoname="canara-bank" meta.sector="Banks" meta.tagnameorg="Canara Bank">Canara Bank</keyword> said it is taking all necessary steps to ensure smooth functioning of bank branches and offices. However, the functioning of the bank may be impacted, Canara Bank added. Private lender <keyword id="2179992" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="rbl-bank" source="Orion">RBL Bank</keyword> said its bank unions are affiliated to AIBOA and AIBEA, and the employees associated with these unions may participate in the strike. "The bank will take all necessary steps for smooth functioning of the bank's branches/offices on the days of strike. However, it is likely that some of our branches would also be impacted by the strike," <keyword id="13478967" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="rbl" source="Orion" meta.marketcap="491.27195140500004" meta.tagname="Rane Brake Lining Ltd" meta.tagpopularcount="0" meta.sectorid="506" meta.entitytype="company" meta.matchtype="exact" meta.aum="0" meta.entityid="21601" meta.tagseoname="rane-brake-lining-ltd" meta.sector="Auto Ancillaries" meta.tagnameorg="Rane Brake Lining Ltd.">RBL</keyword> said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/pvr-and-inox-leisure-announce-merger/articleshow/90476756.cms">PVR and INOX Leisure announce merger</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/how-this-former-vedantu-cofounder-is-taking-on-instagram-and-snapchat-to-build-social-media-for-teens/articleshow/90443442.cms">How this former Vedantu cofounder is taking on Instagram and Snapchat to build social media for teens</a>

You Searched For "rural wages" and got 9 results

A Lyft driver says he isn't even making minimum wage driving full-time and it shows how much the job costs workers

Alex Bitter

Why a boomer left coastal Florida for a rural Arkansas town of 900 residents: 'I didn't think we'd make it' to retirement in Florida

Noah Sheidlower

A third of US workers make less than $15 an hour, and they're struggling to make ends meet

Madison Hoff

Rural development ministry seeks additional funds of ₹25,000 crore for MGNREGS

PTI

After biscuits, Indian villagers are cutting down on clothes and hair oil too

Katya Naidu

With tips, restaurants can pay workers as little as $2 an hour. It's why no one's coming back to work.

Paul Constant

India’s rural jobs programme is reportedly offering its lowest wage hike ever next year

Dilsher Dhillon

Walmart workers to begin seeing higher paychecks on March 2, but their minimum wage will still be below Amazon, Costco, and Target

Ben Tobin

Two-day Bharat Bandh: Essential services likely to be affected

PTI

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