California’s Low-Wage Workers and Minimum Wage [Publication Details]

Mar 11, 2024 - The first part of this report describes low-wage workers' occupations, genders, races/ethnicities, birthplaces, household structures, educational attainment, and weekly hours. The second part focuses on low-wage workers' ages. The third part compares the statewide minimum wage to various benchmarks to assess whether it is high, low, or somewhere in between.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/4878

California’s Low-Wage Workers and Minimum Wage

Mar 11, 2024 - Over the last decade, two statutes —Chapter  351 of 2013 (AB  10, Alejo) and Chapter  4 of 2016 (SB  3, Leno) —gradually have increased California ’s statewide minimum wage from $8 per hour to $16 per hour.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4878

California’s Low-Wage Workers and Minimum Wage

Mar 11, 2024 - Figure  3 shows that most low-wage workers live in households without any children under 18. Roughly 20  percent live with one child, 15  percent with two children, and fewer than 10  percent with three or more children.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4878/1

California’s Low-Wage Workers and Minimum Wage

Mar 11, 2024 - As shown in Figure  3, our estimates suggest that the share of workers in low-wage jobs declines by more than one-third between the ages of 25 and 32. This decline suggests that a substantial share of workers spend just a handful of years in low-wage jobs before moving on to mid-to-high-wage jobs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4878/2

California’s Low-Wage Workers and Minimum Wage

Mar 11, 2024 - As shown in Figure  3, although California ’s nominal minimum wage has doubled over the last decade, the hourly wage gap between low-wage (10 th percentile) workers and average (median) workers has barely changed over that period.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4878/3

California’s Low-Wage Workers and Minimum Wage

Mar 11, 2024 - We apply this method to monthly CPS data from January 2022 through December 2023 to construct the estimates that appear in Figures 3 through 7 in the post Is California’s Minimum Wage High, Low, or Somewhere in Between?
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4878/4

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Unit 16 (Physicians, Dentists, and Podiatrists)

Jul 14, 2025 - This means that the agreement would be in effect for the duration of three fiscal years: 2025-26, 2026-27, and 2027-28 Pay Increases. 2025-26: 3  Percent General Salary Increase (GSI). Effective the first day of the pay period following ratification, the agreement would provide all Unit 16 members a GSI of 3  percent.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5064

Refocusing the Workers’ Compensation Subsequent Injury Program

Jul 10, 2025 - Full Employer Costs Likely $2   Billion to $3   Billion Annually. Looking broadly at incoming claims each year, employers likely face lifetime SIBTF costs totaling $2  billion to $3  billion for each cohort of claims that injured workers submit each year.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5062

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Unit 12 (Craft and Maintenance)

Jun 27, 2025 - During PLP 2025, Unit 12 members ’ pay would be reduced by 3  percent in exchange for five hours of PLP 2025 leave credit each month. After accounting for the 3  percent GSI provided by the agreement, the net effect of PLP 2025 would be to essentially hold employees ’ take-home pay flat relative to current levels.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5060

MOU Fiscal Analysis: Bargaining Unit 9 (Professional Engineers)

Jun 27, 2025 - As specified below, the agreement would provide all Unit 9 members pay increases on July 1, 2025 and on July 1, 2027. 2025-26: 3  Percent General Salary Increase (GSI). Effective July 1, 2025, the agreement would provide all state employees represented by Unit 9 a 3  percent pay increase.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5061