Handling Hardship: Data on Economic Insecurity Among Amazon Warehouse Workers

<p dir="ltr">Millions of workers in the U.S. face serious financial hardship, including those working for some of the largest and most iconic global companies. Amazon has endeavored to cultivate a reputation as a generator of quality job opportunities, a claim that has gone largely unexamined through systematic evidence. In this report, we present findings on economic security among Amazon’s frontline warehouse workforce, drawing on a national survey of 1,484 workers across 451 facilities in 42 states. Key findings include:</p><p><br></p><ul><li><b>53% of workers experienced one or more forms of food insecurity</b> in the previous three months.</li><li><b>48% of workers experienced one or more forms of housing insecurity</b> in the previous three months.</li><li><b>More than half (56%) have not been able to pay all their bills</b> without a remaining balance in the previous three months.</li><li><b>One-third of workers (33%) have used one or more publicly funded assistance programs in the previous months</b>, including 23% who have used the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).</li><li><b>Taking time off due to the health impacts of working at Amazon is linked with greater economic insecurity</b>. For example, 60% of those taking unpaid time off due to pain or exhaustion from working at Amazon report one or more forms of food insecurity, versus 36% of those who have not taken time off. </li></ul><p dir="ltr">The findings from the National Survey of Amazon Workers suggest that, for many workers, a job at Amazon does not provide a clear pathway to economic security. Further, the data provide new evidence of the relationship between work-related pain and injury and workers’ economic challenges—showing, for the first time, a hidden cost of working at Amazon. </p>